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AT&T Go Phone Loophole Closed?

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Posted by: GadgetJunky5150

I tried doing a search on this and kept getting an error message so I apologize if this has already been talked about. I was reading on another board that the 999-99-9999 SSN trick no longer works for getting the Go Phone option. Is this true?


Posted by: GearTripper

what is this you speak of?


Posted by: Jasper44

I wouldn't doubt it because the people at At&t aren't stupid and it would be hard for them to not know what was going on.


Posted by: staiano

Most certainly CLOSED!!! I have been trying since Sunday when I bought my iPhone to activate under prepay. I didn't want to give AT&T my soc sec num.

At this point the only way to get an iPhone to activate on prepay is to fail a credit check.


Posted by: mongoos150

Just activate it via postpay like the rest of us


Posted by: cliffr39

Quote:
Originally Posted by staiano
Most certainly CLOSED!!! I have been trying since Sunday when I bought my iPhone to activate under prepay. I didn't want to give AT&T my soc sec num.

At this point the only way to get an iPhone to activate on prepay is to fail a credit check.


I know I read that many people couldn't get iTunes to go through with activation so they had to call in, can't you do the same for prepaid?


Posted by: GadgetJunky5150

Ok so a friend of mine bought the iPhone and when he tried to activate via iTunes it said he had to pay a $800 deposit. Does he have to pay that deposit for service or can he opt for Go Phone? Just was curious how messed up someones credit has to be to get passed the deposit stage and be offered prepaid.


Posted by: mjs975s

They have been aware of this abuse of the system for over a week and closed it then.


Posted by: nippyjun

Quote:
Originally Posted by mongoos150
Just activate it via postpay like the rest of us


What is postpay and how do you do it?


Posted by: cliffr39

Quote:
Originally Posted by nippyjun
What is postpay and how do you do it?


postpaid = contract

Quote:
Originally Posted by mjs975s
They have been aware of this abuse of the system for over a week and closed it then.


don't see how it is abuse. 1) you are not scamming to get the device cheaper 2) some people don't have SSN's 3) you are still on the AT&T network.


Posted by: inkhead

AT&T doesn't care if you use the Go-phone plan, it actually makes them CONSIDERABLY more money. It's just the 999-99-9999 social security number. Probably a bunch of accounts have been created with it lately, and it being a fake social security number, someone realized that it might not be smart for reasons such as LEGAL, and contract stuff, and terms of service, if they ever wanted to come after you for some illegal activity. I know where I work, we have a system that requires a social security for contractor purposes and we did something similar, but the attorney later insisted that we put a "number refused" or something in because having a very obviously fake social number might allow a client to convince a judge that "obviously" he didn't mean to use the service, or agree to the terms because he didn't put in real information.

Anyway just put in another fake one, or SIMPLY call at&t, they will be more than happy to activate it as a Go-Phone. My guess is Apple (they probably have to wait on AT&T) will just add an option to check for "Pay as you Go" or something, but they might still want your real social security number.

Since it's through the internet and you don't sign anything, having a real social security number is a good way to prove that "you did" sign up for something, make sense? So they are probably just fixing the legal aspect

just put in another combination or call at&t to setup as go-phone


Posted by: staiano

I've had an iPhone since Sunday. Spent more time on the phone with at&t over the past 6 days then I've done anything else except for sleep and work. I believe I average 3 hrs plus per day on the phone with them. The 999-99-9999 ssn loophole has been closed, so has the 000-00-0000 ssn loophole.

At this point you cannot get on prepay unless you fail a credit check and that cannot happen unless you give them your real ssn [I refuse to give out my social which is why I cannot get my iPhone to work]. I have spoken with at least 30 different people at at&t and in the end they cannot manually fail your credit to get you on prepay. It seems that it's apple who is running the credit check in iTunes and not AT&T as I had thought.

I have tried setting up the phone directly through iTunes but I cannot get past the ssn piece. If I put in a fake ssn I get an email to call at&t and that leads me to the ssn issue. On the advice of at&t I also went out and activated my iTunes sim as a pick your plan [prepay] account separately and then tried to activate the iPhone but that fails too.

I canceled my plan today and now have to decide what to do. I hate all of this because AT&T and Apple both said I could do prepay with giving my ssn, multiple times each, long before I bought the iPhone but it's just not able to work and it leaves me with a 10% restocking fee that is really not my fault.


Posted by: mongoos150

Quote:
Originally Posted by staiano
I refuse to give out my social which is why I cannot get my iPhone to work.
Sorry, but this is absolutely ridiculous to me. This is how credit works. Your SSN = your track record. AT&T isn't going to do anything evil with your SSN. And if you don't like giving out your SSN, don't plan on buying a car, a home, or anything else that requires credit (let alone a loan).


Posted by: staiano

Quote:
Originally Posted by mongoos150
Sorry, but this is absolutely ridiculous to me. This is how credit works. Your SSN = your track record. AT&T isn't going to do anything evil with your SSN. And if you don't like giving out your SSN, don't plan on buying a car, a home, or anything else that requires credit (let alone a loan).
I know how credit works, I own a home [okay the bank does but I make my loan payment each month] I own a cheap car [paid cash], no more school loans as they are paid off.

Why should AT&T need to check my credit when they can set me up on prepay? It's not like they are giving us a break on the iPhone price. It's not $600 without contract and $400 with a two year deal. It's $600 for the iPhone from Apple. Every other phone is cheaper with contract but since this one is from Apple there is no discount. But I'm not even looking for a break, just the ability to use my $651.41 iPhone on prepay.


Posted by: Jasper44

Quote:
Originally Posted by staiano
I know how credit works, I own a home [okay the bank does but I make my loan payment each month] I own a cheap car [paid cash], no more school loans as they are paid off.

Why should AT&T need to check my credit when they can set me up on prepay? It's not like they are giving us a break on the iPhone price. It's not $600 without contract and $400 with a two year deal. It's $600 for the iPhone from Apple. Every other phone is cheaper with contract but since this one is from Apple there is no discount. But I'm not even looking for a break, just the ability to use my $651.41 iPhone on prepay.


Why do you want to pay more money by doing prepay.


Posted by: marksman1

Quote:
Originally Posted by cliffr39


don't see how it is abuse. 1) you are not scamming to get the device cheaper 2) some people don't have SSN's 3) you are still on the AT&T network.


Which people would those be.

Nobody legally living here does not have one.


Posted by: RogerPodacter

how about people on visa's? students from abroad? i personally dont know if they get temp ssn's or not. just guessing.


Posted by: mjs975s

Quote:
Originally Posted by marksman1
Which people would those be.

Nobody legally living here does not have one.


LOL I was just thinking that myself but you beat me to the punch! To add to your comment, I want to point out that when someone activates the phone they are entering into a business deal/contract with AT&T, intentional falsification of requested information is illegal in itself. If that person does not agree with the terms and conditions set forth by that company they don't have to enter into the contract with that company. Owning the iPhone, activating it, and using it is a priviledge, not a right - kinda like living in America and


Posted by: retrocactus

If it was closed, then it was closed after Tuesday night which is when I used this method to activate my iPhone. It was quite easy to do and only took a couple of minutes.

What didn't take a couple of minutes was navigating the IVR hell that is AT&T in order to talk to someone about cancelling the automatic GoPhone monthly payment on the Pick Your Plan....more like 4 call attempts and about an hour on the phone. I even got transferred to a parking valet at one point....WTF?


Posted by: arche3

there is no good reason why you shouldnt be able to go prepay on the iphone. consumers have every right to go prepay and forgo a credit check. that is the main reason to go prepay. If there are too many credit checks within 6 months it will lower your credit score. So that is one legitimate reason to not want a credit check. It takes 6 months to raise the score from too many credit checks.

They might just not want anyone using iphone to go on prepay. but then they shouldnt sell it to you without explicitly telling the buyer.


Posted by: mesallem

Quote:
Originally Posted by mongoos150
Sorry, but this is absolutely ridiculous to me. This is how credit works. Your SSN = your track record. AT&T isn't going to do anything evil with your SSN. And if you don't like giving out your SSN, don't plan on buying a car, a home, or anything else that requires credit (let alone a loan).


The government's intention for SSNs was never to use to track your credit record; it's the banking system that initiated such a policy. But in this day and age a social security number is not required to do a credit check. Name, address, phone number will suffice for most credit checks. Even t-mobile has an option where you can call in and refuse to do a credit check using your SSN and they'll just do it with your Name address and phone number. My point being, you shouldn't have to give your SSN if you don't want to. Plus the law states that phone carriers can only put u on a contract if they are subsidizing service in some way or another, ie GIVING YOU A FREE PHONE. So why do you have to commit to a contract if you don't get some form of subsidy?


Posted by: deparson

I would guess that one could just call in and say they don't have an SSN (e.g. foreign national on extended business/personal visit to the States) and go post-paid that way. Seems simple enough.


Posted by: laubowski

Is this loophole closed"? Can anyone confirm pls.

Thanks


Posted by: macdaddy01

Quote:
Originally Posted by retrocactus
What didn't take a couple of minutes was navigating the IVR hell that is AT&T in order to talk to someone about cancelling the automatic GoPhone monthly payment on the Pick Your Plan....more like 4 call attempts and about an hour on the phone. I even got transferred to a parking valet at one point....WTF?


Does cancelling the automatic GoPhone monthly payment move you over to the Pay As You Go plan? It would be nice to refill the account using refill cards.


Posted by: retrocactus

I would assume so....I'll let you know in a month (or less) when my current minutes expire/run out. I suspect there is a time limit and if you don't refill within a certain time, you'll lose your number and have to start over. I'm sure others on the board are more familiar with GoPhone details.


Posted by: cliffr39

Quote:
Originally Posted by mongoos150
Sorry, but this is absolutely ridiculous to me. This is how credit works. Your SSN = your track record. AT&T isn't going to do anything evil with your SSN. And if you don't like giving out your SSN, don't plan on buying a car, a home, or anything else that requires credit (let alone a loan).


yes ssn=credit but they aren't trying for credit, they wish for prepaid. And yes Cingular will do something evil. They ran a credit check on me in March when I signed up, in May when I bought just a handset from telesales, and then again in Jun. - Yes I'm a phone-whore lol, but I didn't do it as an add-a-line or new account or anything, just bought equipment-only. They have no legal reasoning to run my credit when I've already got service established.

Last night I pulled my credit record from Experian also, and see that "AT&T Wireless" ran me Feb 7th, 2007 as well... before I even came to sign up with Cingular (which was 3/2/07 and also shows on that credit file). I don't trust them with my SSN so I don't blame the other poster.


Posted by: cliffr39

Quote:
Originally Posted by mesallem
... Plus the law states that phone carriers can only put u on a contract if they are subsidizing service in some way or another, ie GIVING YOU A FREE PHONE. So why do you have to commit to a contract if you don't get some form of subsidy?


where did you hear/see this? i didn't know of any such law regulating anything about wireless or contracts this way.

Quote:
Originally Posted by marksman1
Which people would those be.

Nobody legally living here does not have one.


http://www.ssa.gov/immigration/immigration2.htm

If you are here as a student exchange, or even just a student VISA (not exchange) you won't get an SSN. If you are here as a refugee (which there are many from the Middle East thanks to Bush) will not get one. I know that when you come to the US for work you will get one BUT I know there are many that live in Canada and work just across the border in NY - not sure if they get an SSN or not since they don't live in the US.

Long story short- there are MANY like that. Or the simple fact that I don't want any more inquiry points on my credit file since each drops your score by like 12 points (and yes Cingular has done that to me 4 times since Feb with out my consent)


Posted by: bryanharig

Quote:
Originally Posted by cliffr39
yes ssn=credit but they aren't trying for credit, they wish for prepaid. And yes Cingular will do something evil. They ran a credit check on me in March when I signed up, in May when I bought just a handset from telesales, and then again in Jun. - Yes I'm a phone-whore lol, but I didn't do it as an add-a-line or new account or anything, just bought equipment-only. They have no legal reasoning to run my credit when I've already got service established.

Last night I pulled my credit record from Experian also, and see that "AT&T Wireless" ran me Feb 7th, 2007 as well... before I even came to sign up with Cingular (which was 3/2/07 and also shows on that credit file). I don't trust them with my SSN so I don't blame the other poster.


If you have already established service with them then they have a contract which you agreed to which states they may periodically check your credit for the duration of your service with them. So yes actually, they do have a 'legal reason to run your credit'.

There is a difference between a hard enquiry (IE starting a new account) and a soft enquiry (IE a current creditor checking up on a customers status). A soft enquiry is nothing to get upset about, the effects on your credit are miniscule.


Posted by: santfekuss

Really dissappointed with this news. On holiday to Orlando in August and was going to do this. Have opened a US itunes account,US paypal account for payment and have a pre-paid visa card set-up.
Was wanting to use the iPhone as a phone :-) and hope there was a full unlock when I returned to the UK

What now ???


Posted by: bryanharig

So, is it still possible for someone with good credit to set up GoPhone service with the iphone?

Does the fake ssn trick still work?


Posted by: santfekuss

Think I may pop into an AT&T store and buy one....'maybe' they'll be able help and offer more advice than the Apple store getting it on the prepaid option.
I travel to the US a fair bit so it would not be wasted.


Posted by: bmstrong

Shame. Kills any interest in the iPhone for me. I flat out refuse to sign any contract. Period.

Hopefully, your visit might shed some light on the situation...


Posted by: santfekuss

Afraid it's not till 18th August, you never know, we might get the full unlock


Posted by: xcharliemx

Quote:
Originally Posted by cliffr39
where did you hear/see this? i didn't know of any such law regulating anything about wireless or contracts this way.


http://www.ssa.gov/immigration/immigration2.htm

If you are here as a student exchange, or even just a student VISA (not exchange) you won't get an SSN. If you are here as a refugee (which there are many from the Middle East thanks to Bush) will not get one. I know that when you come to the US for work you will get one BUT I know there are many that live in Canada and work just across the border in NY - not sure if they get an SSN or not since they don't live in the US.

Long story short- there are MANY like that. Or the simple fact that I don't want any more inquiry points on my credit file since each drops your score by like 12 points (and yes Cingular has done that to me 4 times since Feb with out my consent)


They get a tax id number that is the same amount of digits as a SS# and it's on a SS card that says "For INS work purposes only" or something to that effect.

I have customers that refuse to have their credit checked because they're about to buy a house or get a loan and don't want a credit hit so they just have to prove their identity with a picture ID and we can go about our business. I have no idea why Apple or AT&T is being so difficult. Like someone said earlier, if they don't want you using prepay they should've said it up front. Not make you pay a 10% restocking fee because you couldn't get the phone activated because they failed to provide the details on the activation stipulations.


Posted by: santfekuss

Thanks Charlie, do you work for AT&T ? As I said earlier, I'm in the US quite regularly, and this holiday I'm looking for property to buy and will need a US cell number.If I leave my UK number it will cost me a fortune in roaming fees.
Would an AT&T store help me out in any way to activate an iPhone and get me on the pre-paid plan ? I have a US prepaid visa card for direct payments, funded by my UK AMEX card. I also have a US iTunes account from previous visits to the US.


Posted by: nippyjun

I don't see the point of a credit check for a 2 year contract. What's the difference if you have good credit or not. If you don't pay your bill what do they loose? Just the amount of the bill, but if you don't get a contract because your credit is bad then they loose a contracted customer. Stupid.


Posted by: xcharliemx

Quote:
Originally Posted by santfekuss
Thanks Charlie, do you work for AT&T ? As I said earlier, I'm in the US quite regularly, and this holiday I'm looking for property to buy and will need a US cell number.If I leave my UK number it will cost me a fortune in roaming fees.
Would an AT&T store help me out in any way to activate an iPhone and get me on the pre-paid plan ? I have a US prepaid visa card for direct payments, funded by my UK AMEX card. I also have a US iTunes account from previous visits to the US.


I work in the Credit Dept for a large phone company, not AT&T unfortunately or I would help you in this matter. I would not suggest typing in any old number into the system because you may hit a real Social Security # that belongs to someone else and that would constitute fraud. Showing up in person at an AT&T store would definitely help as it establishes your identity and they can see you're just a person that doesn't have a SS#. Good luck with this and definitely let us know how it goes.


Posted by: santfekuss

Will do Charlie, and 'hopefully' I'll post my result from Safari on my iPhone The only I.D I'll have to show the store is a UK passport,UK driving licence, bank and AMEX credit card.


Posted by: aglowlight

I actually setup a prepaid account last night when I activated my iPhone. I used a fake SSN and it failed of course and presented me with 3 options I think. I took the prepaid go phone and will be canceling it soon. The least expensive prepaid plan the go phone place which cost 29.99 for 200 minutes and 19.99 for the unlimited data.


Posted by: santfekuss

Quote:
Originally Posted by aglowlight
I actually setup a prepaid account last night when I activated my iPhone. I used a fake SSN and it failed of course and presented me with 3 options I think. I took the prepaid go phone and will be canceling it soon. The least expensive prepaid plan the go phone place which cost 29.99 for 200 minutes and 19.99 for the unlimited data.


Mmm interesting.......hope it works for me next month then .What was the fake SSN ???


Posted by: bryanharig

Quote:
Originally Posted by aglowlight
I actually setup a prepaid account last night when I activated my iPhone. I used a fake SSN and it failed of course and presented me with 3 options I think. I took the prepaid go phone and will be canceling it soon. The least expensive prepaid plan the go phone place which cost 29.99 for 200 minutes and 19.99 for the unlimited data.



Im glad to hear that it still worked! Did you use all 9's or all 0's?


Posted by: wco81

If you can get it, what is the per minute charge on the prepaid plan? Don't they have a per-day use fee for accessing the network, before they even charge for minutes?

How much is data on prepay?

SMS?


Posted by: bryanharig

prepaid is officially available in only the pick your plan form. Plans have unimited data and start at $50.


Posted by: aglowlight

I used 999-99-9001 and it failed allowing me to select go phone plan.


Posted by: wco81

So how does the Go Phone Plan work with iPhone?

You buy a bucket of minutes which don't expire for a year but how do they charge for the data and SMS? Some amount per bit or per SMS?


Posted by: bryanharig

Quote:
Originally Posted by wco81
So how does the Go Phone Plan work with iPhone?

You buy a bucket of minutes which don't expire for a year but how do they charge for the data and SMS? Some amount per bit or per SMS?


Quote:
Originally Posted by bryanharig
prepaid is officially available in only the pick your plan form. Plans have unlimited data and start at $50.


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