Uh-oh: Denver Verizon customers are being charged for phones they never ordered

By Williams Pelegrin Published February 10, 2015

verizon customers orders never made storefront — Image used with permission by copyright holder

It’s not a fun feeling when you find out a purchase was made under your name without your knowledge. How would you feel if that purchase was through your own phone carrier, but you weren’t the only one? That’s what Verizon customers have dealt with, according to the Denver Post.

The outlet reported on Tracy Hunter, a Verizon customer in Denver who was billed for a new iPhone 6 and monthly charges associated with it. The issue was she never ordered the handset. “The charge was $332 for the new phone and the activation, and then, additionally, a charge of $153.90 per month,” said Hunter.

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Shortly after her story hit the news, roughly three dozen more Verizon customers came forward with similar stories. According to Verizon spokeswoman Meagan Dorsch, these customers may have been victims of phishing attempts. In other words, they may have given information to a third-party account and authorized that account to make purchases on the Verizon website under their names.

“We don’t have any evidence of a data breach,” said Dorsch.

While the fates of the other Verizon customers who were affected have yet to be determined, there is a happy ending to this story: Hunter was told the order was stopped shortly after she informed Verizon.

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Williams Pelegrin

Former Digital Trends Contributor

Williams is an avid New York Yankees fan, speaks Spanish, resides in Colorado, and has an affinity for Frosted Flakes. Send…

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