'Phone Hijackers' Charged Others' Accounts: Arapahoe Sheriff

CENTENNIAL, CO -- The Arapahoe County Sheriff's office warned that several cases of "phone account hijacking" had taken place in Metro Denver in recent weeks. According to the sheriff's office, suspects are accused of allegedly acquiring new cell phones and services by stealing the identity of established customers.

The sheriff's office shared the following message:

Imagine someone walking into a mobile phone store, claiming to be you, and walking out with two brand new iPhones with your telephone numbers. In this scenario, your phone would stop receiving calls immediately and you’ll probably be left with a huge bill, and in some cases these thieves may open other accounts in your name.

It’s called phone account hijacking.

Sounds like something in the movies right? Unfortunately criminals are doing this every day across the country, and now we’re seeing it in Arapahoe County, too. In fact, nationally over the past three years these types of reported identity theft have more than doubled—from 1,038 cases to 2,658.

Sometimes a website will identify the carrier associated with a phone number. "Some will also identify the name of the subscriber and their city and state for free, and will sell the complete address for less than a dollar. There are also black market websites that sell dossiers that include social security numbers," the sheriff's office said in a press release.

The Federal Trade Commission says establishing a password or PIN that is required before making changes to your mobile account is a good way to thwart these identity thieves. Each of the carriers offers this feature to their customers in a slightly different way. More information for specific carriers can be found here: Link: https://www.ftc.gov/…/your-mobile-phone-account-could-be-hi…

In 2015 more than 50 customers in the Denver area complained that Verizon had charged them for iPhone 6s, iPads, and new service plans they had not ordered, the FTC said.

The Arapahoe County Sheriff released photos through Metro Crime Stoppers of two men accused of phone account hijacking.

If you recognize them, please contact Metro Denver Crime Stoppers at 720-913-STOP (7867).

Image via Arapahoe County Sheriff's Office