Connecticut Opens Investigation Into AT&T Unauthorized Charges
Connecticut is investigating unauthorized charges added to AT&T customers' accounts, state Attorney General William Tong (D) announced Monday. The move comes after former AT&T employee Katie Barnaby of Stafford, Connecticut, was charged with computer crimes associated with adding charges between 2021 and 2022. State police also found similar schemes in Michigan, said a news release, where "multiple store managers allegedly directed employees to add certain unauthorized services to all customer accounts to earn bonuses ranging from $300 to $3,000" to achieve a 90% "close rate” on those services.
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Investigators sought information regarding Barnaby's employment along with records of company investigations of her. "In multiple instances, AT&T employees are alleged to have opened fraudulent lines and added unauthorized charges to win bonuses," Tong said: "We need to understand whether these were isolated bad actors, or whether there is something about AT&T’s practices that is incentivizing or enabling more widespread fraud." AT&T declined to comment on the investigation and a spokesperson pointed to the company's statement at the time of Barnaby's arrest: "We take seriously our responsibility to protect customer accounts, and we do not tolerate this type of behavior."