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ARREST WARRANT: Former AT&T employee added lines to customer accounts as part of commission scheme
A former AT&T employee was arrested for adding unauthorized phone and tablet lines to at least one customer’s account for commission.
By Rob Polansky
Published: Jan. 8, 2025 at 9:21 AM EST|Updated: 1 hour ago
STAFFORD, CT (WFSB) - A former AT&T employee was arrested for adding unauthorized phone and tablet lines to at least one customer’s account for commission.
State police identified the suspect as 35-year-old Katie Ann Barnaby of Stafford.
Katie Ann Barnaby was arrested for a commission scheme that involved manipulating AT&T...
Katie Ann Barnaby was arrested for a commission scheme that involved manipulating AT&T customer accounts, according to state police.(Connecticut State Police)
Barnaby was charged with a third-degree computer crime, troopers said.
According to an arrest warrant for Barnaby, a victim reported to state police in Feb. 2024 that there was fraudulent activity on their AT&T account.
The victim said they initially bought a Samsung phone, a watch, and accessories from an AT&T store in Stafford Springs in Dec. 2021. The consultant in the store was Barnaby.
Following the purchases, the victim reported that they noticed their monthly bills were higher than what had been discussed with Barnaby.
The victim said AT&T told her that Barnaby had been identified in an internal investigation for similar practices with other customers. The company told the victim that Barnaby added and removed protection plans and features on customers' accounts between Nov. 2021 and Jan. 2022. The victim reported that they learned 30 different customers were impacted.
State police said they spoke with a former coworker of Barnaby who told them that Barnaby would access customer accounts without authorization and add lines to generate commission-based profit.
The coworker also said Barnaby would keep trade-in devices to potentially resell them online.
AT&T internal records showed that Barnaby was fired from the Stafford Springs location in July 2022, but rehired at another AT&T store where she continued to manipulate customers' accounts.
The company’s commission payment records for Dec. 2021 to July 2022 showed that Barnaby received $1,150.
Barnaby eventually resigned, according to state police.
An arrest warrant was approved on Jan. 3, 2025. She was arrested on Jan. 5.
She faced a judge on Jan. 6, 2024 with a $25,000 bond.
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