Delaware man says fake AT&T upgrade offer left him facing $5,128 bill before CBS Philadelphia stepped in

When David Miller received a call that appeared to come from AT&T, he thought he was being rewarded for more than 50 years as a customer. The caller claimed to be from the company's loyalty department and offered four new iPhones along with a lower monthly bill. "It sounded pretty good," Miller said. The New Castle, Delaware, man followed the caller's instructions, purchasing four new iPhone Pro Max devices that cost about $1,200 each. He was told to bring the phones home and call back so they could be activated. That's when things took a turn. The red flags Miller said someone claiming to be from the company's IT department called him on FaceTime and asked to see the backs of the phone boxes. "He says, 'I need to see the back of the phone boxes, so I can activate the phones,'" Miller recalled. After telling him there was a problem activating the devices, the caller instructed Miller to ship the phones back using a prepaid shipping label. He was promised replacement phones would arrive the next day. Looking back, Miller said one warning sign stood out. "When he said [not to] tell the people at the store that the loyalty department was giving me the phones, that's when it sounded kind of suspicious," he said. Still, the caller continued to pressure him. Miller told CBS Philadelphia the person contacted him repeatedly, sometimes several times a day for an entire week. The moment of realization came when the promised replacement phones never arrived. "I said to myself, 'Oh no, I think I've been scammed,'" Miller said. A familiar scam tactic Miller's experience mirrors a case CBS Philadelphia previously reported in which a viewer said scammers posing as Comcast and Xfinity convinced him to return a newly delivered phone. These types of impersonation scams , in which criminals pose as trusted companies, are among the most commonly reported fraud schemes in the United States, according to the Federal Trade Commission , and result in billions of dollars in losses each year. A key tactic is caller ID spoofing, which allows scammers to make calls appear as though they are coming from legitimate businesses or even people victims know. Miller said that is exactly what convinced him. "Every time the phone rang, it said AT&T," he said. "That is what convinced me." A $5,128 problem After realizing he had likely been scammed, Miller immediately contacted AT&T's fraud department, filed reports with UPS and police, and reached out to multiple consumer protection agencies. Despite those efforts, he said he was initially told he was responsible for the charges because he had authorized the phone purchases himself. The total bill came to $5,128. "I was devastated," Miller said. The first bill alone would have been more than $900 for phones he no longer possessed. Turning to In Your Corner Feeling out of options, Miller contacted In Your Corner, and we reviewed his case and contacted AT&T on Miller's behalf. Miller said he received a call the very next day from a representative in the Office of the President and Consumer Affairs. "He says, 'Mr. Miller, we have been contacted by In Your Corner. We understand you have a problem,'" Miller recalled. "He says, 'No problem. We're going to take care of it for you.'" In a statement to CBS News Philadelphia, AT&T said: "We take account security very seriously and worked with the customer to resolve the matter to his satisfaction."The company added that social engineering scams are designed to exploit consumers' trust by impersonating legitimate organizations and warned customers to be cautious of unexpected requests involving account changes, passcodes, purchases or device shipments. The resolution even became a source of humor in his household. "My wife unpacked her bags," Miller joked. "The marriage is saved." How to protect yourself from a phone upgrade scam AT&T says customers should be wary of unsolicited calls or messages involving: Free device upgrades Requests for account passcodes Changes to account information Unexpected purchases Requests to ship phones or other devices Scammers can spoof virtually any phone number, making it appear that calls are coming from legitimate businesses, even when they are not. That's why consumer advocates always recommend hanging up and contacting a company directly using the phone number listed on a bill, account statement or official website any time an unexpected offer or request seems suspicious. AT&T says anyone receiving a suspicious request can contact the company directly through the myAT&T app, AT&T's website or by dialing 611 from an AT&T wireless device. Miller says looking back, there were warning signs. "If it sounds too good to be true, it probably is," he said. "And secondly, if you can't take time, a day or so to think something over, and somebody's rushing you, probably not a good idea." Looking for help with a consumer issue? Click here to submit your complaint to In Your Corner. In: AT&T Delaware Featured Local Savings