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AT&T and Cricket Take Phone Traffickers to Court

Aug 31, 2018, 4:02 AM by Eric M. Zeman

AT&T and its prepaid business Cricket Wireless are targeting cell phone traffickers with legal action. The company has filed lawsuits against several businesses and individuals suspected of trafficking new prepaid cellphones. Trafficked phones are typically purchased in bulk from AT&T or Cricket Wireless at a discount and then unlocked without permission by AT&T/Cricket. The buyers often discard the original packaging and sell the phones at higher prices to make a profit. AT&T says this practice "negates the subsidy that AT&T Prepaid and Cricket intended to benefit the consumer." The lawsuits, filed with the U.S. district court in New Jersey, target US Mobile Pros LLC and Maz Wireless, LLC.

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rwalford79

Aug 31, 2018, 10:33 AM

What Case?

What case do they really have here? SIM Unlocking is already been deemed LEGAL in the USA, whether the company selling the device gives permission or not. If you're buying the phone, it is yours to do what you wish. The company sells devices at a lower price (still more than they purchase them from the OEM), in exchange locking the SIM to only use one provider, in hopes that you will spend more with that company who then will recoup the full retail value (an artificially inflated price) of the device over a period of time. But you're not obligated to do that. You can top up and pay into the prepaid plan and ask for an unlock code if you chose, or you can take that device and use other methods to unlock it.

If AT&T doesn't want these devi...
(continues)

middlekid3058

That is an inaccurate statement

"The company sells devices at a lower price (still more than they purchase them from the OEM"

They sell the devices for a subsidized price that is LOWER than the OEM price to the carrier.

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AT&T and Cricket Take Phone Traffickers to Court

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