AT&T goes after pretexters

AT&T Inc. said it reached confidential settlements and obtained court-ordered injunctions against 13 alleged pretexters in the federal lawsuits it filed in San Antonio and San Francisco.
“We stated at the time we filed these suits that AT&T would use every means available to vigorously pursue individuals and companies who, through fraud, attempt to obtain unauthorized access to customer information,” said Dorothy Attwood, chief privacy officer for AT&T. “We have done just that, and are very pleased with the results of these cases. We believe that the results send a clear and decisive message that has had a significant and chilling effect on the pretexting community.”
Congress last year outlawed pretexting, the practice of impersonating subscribers to obtain their phone records. The Federal Communications Commission recently ordered wireless and wireline carriers to take additional steps to safeguard their customers’ privacy, an action criticized by the mobile phone industry. Cellular carriers also regard as unnecessary House and Senate legislation to impose new regulations on wireless and wireline operators to curb unauthorized access to subscribers’ phone calling data.
AT&T, parent of the largest mobile phone carrier, said similar settlements were reached with two more defendants, and that the courts should soon issue permanent injunctions. The settlements cover undisclosed cash payments and permanent injunctions that forbid each defendant from engaging in any future unlawful pretexting activity, according to AT&T.