I left my job at a Big 4 accounting firm about 4 or 5 years ago, and they gave me an iPhone 8 through AT&T. I used it for a bit, but then it just sat in a drawer, especially during the pandemic. When I left, I returned all the gear they asked for, but nobody mentioned the phone, so I forgot about it. Now, a family member needs a phone, so I tried to unlock it with AT&T. But to my surprise, I was denied because it's flagged as fraud. After filing a complaint with the FCC and pushing AT&T for more info, I found out the number was reported for spam, and there are a lot of complaints against it. The rep said there's nothing they can do about it. It's frustrating because this phone hasn't been used in years—it's just been gathering dust, and somehow it's ended up on a blacklist that I can't access or contest. Has anyone experienced something similar? I just want to understand how a phone that's been idle for so long gets flagged for spamming.
2 Answers
It sounds like the issue might be with the SIM card rather than the phone itself. If the SIM that's inside the phone was ever associated with spam complaints, that could be the reason for the flag. Usually, a number can still be linked to the SIM for a while even if the phone isn't in service. It’s weird for a dormant phone to get flagged, but if it still has that same SIM that received complaints, it could raise flags in their system. It's good you talked to someone higher up; hopefully, they'll clear it up soon!
That's frustrating! It seems odd that a phone could be flagged without even being used. It might just be a mix-up in the system, especially if the number was reported before you stopped using it. If it gets cleared up in the next couple of days as they said, that would be a relief! Just keep checking in with them incase it doesn’t get resolved automatically.
Exactly! The SIM card is often what holds the history, not just the phone. If you left the company and the SIM was still active (even without service), it might’ve continued to receive those spam reports. It's strange, but it makes sense! Glad to hear AT&T is looking into it for you.