A woman says she handed her broken iPhone over to AT&T in order to upgrade to a new one. Now, she’s saying the employee drained her bank accounts and stole her identity.
According to TikTok user Taylor Dreyer (@tayytalks_), her phone broke during a trip to the beach in Los Angeles. She then went to an AT&T store in Venice in order to get a new phone.
“I left the phone there still on because I wanted all of my photos from my iCloud to come to my new phone. And [the employee] said it was gonna take forever,” she recalls. “He said, ‘Why don’t I just save you the time and leave the phone plugged in? And I won’t turn it off until it’s done? So that way, you can take your new phone home.’”
However, instead of doing this, Dreyer alleges that the employee left the store with the phone and brought it to his residence, draining her bank accounts and gaining access to all her personal information in the process.
Camera Roll Access
“[He] now has access to every single thing I’ve ever had on my phone for the last four years: all my bank accounts, Social Security card, driver’s license, social media passwords, camera roll,” she details. “Now tell me, would you be comfortable with a stranger having access to your camera roll?”
Consequently, Dreyer says that she’s hired a lawyer and has been in contact with the Los Angeles Police Department. However, as she lives in Dallas, she says things have been slow-moving.
Dreyer says that people have made similar complaints against the store in the past. However, it appears that no one has alleged what she is claiming. That said, the store has just 2.5 out of 5 stars on Yelp. Yelp reviewers claimed that the store added lines without permission, attempted to make unknown charges, and more.
The Woman Offers An Update
In a follow-up video, Dreyer explains the current status of her predicament.
In short, she says she was able to file a report with the Los Angeles Police Department. She says she also obtained contact emails for corporate and the fraud department (to which she sent the police report). She was also able to freeze her bank account and credit cards to prevent any future transactions, Dreyer continues. And she got the manager’s full name to report him and locked her phone remotely via Apple customer support.
Additionally, she says she is in the process of having all fraudulent charges reversed and is pursuing legal action against the company.
“If they do not respond to my emails, I will continue to email them with proof, evidence, and facts. And I will not stop until this situation is done and dealt with,” she states. “They should not have these employees. They should not allow scam rings to be run through their stores.”
What Should One Do In This Situation?
Before handing your phone over to a store, it’s best to back it up and then wipe the individual phone. This will prevent anyone with access to the phone from obtaining the information contained within.
However, if one forgets or simply misplaces their trust as Dreyer did, they can follow the same steps that she took.
First, if the phone in question is an iPhone, one should declare the phone stolen using Apple’s iCloud services. This will prevent the phone from being accessed. It will also make it substantially more difficult to resell the phone or pass it on to someone else.
Second, they should follow Dreyer’s lead and freeze bank accounts and credit cards if they are concerned that the person with the phone will have access to them. Then, they should reach out to the police, providing identifying information about the phone (such as the serial number), the circumstances surrounding why you no longer have it, and its last known location, available via Apple’s Find My services.
BroBible has reached out to AT&T and the Los Angeles Police Department. BroBible also reached out to the Venice store Dreyer visited run by MyWirelessGroup and MyWirelessGroup itself via email for comment.
@tayytalks_ i am infuriated with this company and how shitty they are treating their customers’ privacy. #attscam #att #iphone #scam #stoleniphone
Commenters Are Shocked
In the comments section, users felt bad for Dreyer while being stunned that something like this could happen in the first place.
“I would never have left my phone without a complete reset of the phone, I just don’t trust folks, so sorry this happened, it’s terrible, definitely talk immediately to the manager too, & police,” wrote a user.
“That’s why I keep all my old phones never hav I traded in any of my old ones ever,” offered another.
“This is why I refuse to go to the store of any carrier. I only go if I have to go,” declared a further user.
They added, “I refuse to give them my phone or give them my card. I pay with Apple Pay or Google Pay. I do everything online.”
BroBible reached out to Dreyer via TikTok direct message and comment.