[Q] Compromised at&t SIM card? - Android Q&A, Help & Troubleshooting

Sorry for the length, but proper context seems necessary. Normally when you activate a phone at AT&T they give you the card that the SIM was punched out of, right? When I bought my S4 a couple of months ago, they gave me the card. I also asked around and other people I know say that they were also given the card (the credit-card sized card that the sim is punched from) when activating through at&t. Well, I went to at&t the other day to have another phone activated (an iPhone). I wasn't signing a contract or anything, just activating another phone on my account. They had no problem adding another line to my account but there was an issue that prevented the sales rep from activating the sim card. He kept trying and trying and it just wouldn't work. For some reason, it needed a manager and not just a floor manager but a store manager. After trying multiple times, I had to wait for a manager to come and activate the sim from a computer terminal (rather than the iPads which are normally used). I was told this problem is rare but happens from time to time (with a fake smile). Anyway, after activating the sim card, the manager waived the $35 activation fee (awesome!). I was all set to go, activated phone in hand and I went to grab the card that the SIM was punched from, but the manager quickly grabbed it and told me "No, these don't go to customers -they get shredded. As a matter of fact, I'll go shred it now," and she carried it off back to her office. I wasn't persistent or anything. Now I'm not a paranoid person but I just got a gut feeling that something was amiss in how that was handled. My gut told me something wasn't right. So I have a couple of questions:
1.) Is at&t now shredding all of the cards that the SIMs are punched from (with all of the info) instead of giving them to the customer? Is that normal at&t procedure to shred the SIM punch-out cards? It would seem like a logistical nightmare to be SOP.
2.) Can any kind of fraud or surveillance result from someone having that card? Am I in danger from fraud or extra-surveillance (from local authorities, as opposed to the all-sweeping NSA) for instance?
3.) Is this normal at&t procedure? Should I be suspicious, or even worried?
Input from anyone with knowledge on the subject would be greatly appreciated. Thanks.

Related

Hot swappable Ameo - an EASY mod!

For anyone who's interested in making the SIM on their x7500 hot-swappable - like the Kaiser -and perhaps hasn't been sure whether to try it or not, the fiddly little clip that goes over the SIM card and which cannot be opened without removing the battery CAN be taken off with a little careful persuation and agitation.
It has no effect on the sim (which is held in place perfectly well by friction) and makes me wonder why HTC put it there in the first place.
I have been using my handset with this mod for about a month now, swapping sims between my normal handset and the Ameo with no problems whatsoever. The clip can easily by reattached in the event of a sale or warranty repair.
Upon hot swapping you have to deactivate and reactivate the via the Comms manager et voila!
Pictures attached.
Leon
yep i been using it like this for about 3 months now as well
it works really well...
although the sim for me was a bit hard to get out each time so i took a knife and cut a little groove in the sim card so i could get my nail into it
thanks for your point!! good idea!
leoni1980 said:
For anyone who's interested in making the SIM on their x7500 hot-swappable - like the Kaiser -and perhaps hasn't been sure whether to try it or not, the fiddly little clip that goes over the SIM card and which cannot be opened without removing the battery CAN be taken off with a little careful persuation and agitation.
It has no effect on the sim (which is held in place perfectly well by friction) and makes me wonder why HTC put it there in the first place.
I have been using my handset with this mod for about a month now, swapping sims between my normal handset and the Ameo with no problems whatsoever. The clip can easily by reattached in the event of a sale or warranty repair.
Upon hot swapping you have to deactivate and reactivate the via the Comms manager et voila!
Pictures attached.
Leon
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Very nice tip!
Why not simply get an extra sim card though? In my case that costs 18 euro.
patrickl said:
Why not simply get an extra sim card though? In my case that costs 18 euro.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
define what u mean by an 'extra sim card'. I have a specific number with an attached data tarif which I want to use with my n95 and also my ameo (when im not out and about) are you talking about a pay as you go sim card, a new tarif or some kind of 'spare' sim as I was not aware that I could get a clone sim card.
leoni1980 said:
define what u mean by an 'extra sim card'. I have a specific number with an attached data tarif which I want to use with my n95 and also my ameo (when im not out and about) are you talking about a pay as you go sim card, a new tarif or some kind of 'spare' sim as I was not aware that I could get a clone sim card.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I think the marketing term is "Duo SIM". It's a clone of the original SIM. Some companies give one for free (IIRC Vodafone).
You can use only one at a time though (you have to switch the phone you don't use off).
i'm on t-mobile uk and they certainly don't offer this service. I'd be interested to know how i could clone my sim though, since my reasons are entirely legitimate. Does anyone know if this can be done or if it's allowed?!
there's a reason you can't just pull the simcard out; and it's because the radio *really* doesn't appreciate it and generally speaking, it shouldn't be done.
that said, there's all likelihood that it won't matter anyway.
do you feel lucky, punk?
leoni1980 said:
i'm on t-mobile uk and they certainly don't offer this service. I'd be interested to know how i could clone my sim though, since my reasons are entirely legitimate. Does anyone know if this can be done or if it's allowed?!
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
That's strange. I'm on T-Mobile in the Netherlands and they do have this. It's sold in the T-Mobile shops or through customer service.
patrickl said:
That's strange. I'm on T-Mobile in the Netherlands and they do have this. It's sold in the T-Mobile shops or through customer service.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I would also be very interested in this in the UK, but I've never come across it.
If anyone knows any better, please let us know.
Alternatively, is it possible to 'clone' my sim? Or maybe ask for a replacement sim for my 'faulty' one, and then use both... not at the same time, obviously.
Pantaloonie said:
I would also be very interested in this in the UK, but I've never come across it.
If anyone knows any better, please let us know.
Alternatively, is it possible to 'clone' my sim? Or maybe ask for a replacement sim for my 'faulty' one, and then use both... not at the same time, obviously.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
T-Mobile UK used to offer this service, back when it was One2One, but to Business Users only. The benefits were that people could have a SIM in their mobile and one in their car phone, however for two reasons it was stopped. Firstly the car handsets never really took off, and secondly and probably more obviously security reasons.
As far as I'm aware, the other UK networks are of the same standing.
--
Also, if you clone your card and the network detects two users, it will disable one of the sim cards. (In theory anyway - I don't know if people have created a "workaround")
jmdrizen said:
Also, if you clone your card and the network detects two users, it will disable one of the sim cards. (In theory anyway - I don't know if people have created a "workaround")
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Indeed, T-Mobile says you need to switch one phone off. Otherwise the first phone logged on will stay logged on. Which is unfortunate. You'd wish the phone you have with you to get the connection even if you forgot to switch the other one off.
I still have to go pick mine up, so I don't know exactly how it works. They did tell me that I will get 2 new SIMs. Not sure why, but that might be an indication that you cannot simply clone any SIM.
Duo SIM
Enquired with T-Mobile in the UK... They don't do the Duo SIM. Very annoying. I remeber that back in Holland every provider (used to) do them; car phone & mobile. My dad had one (eh... two?). Does anybody know if it's possible to clone a USIM?
I have an Ameo (Athena), an M3100 and a laptop with a UMTS card built in, so I could do with not having to swap SIMs every time... SIM is getting a bit worn...

[Q] ESN Swap?

So, I ordered my Thunderbolt on a secondary line, (used its upgrade) and it will ship that way, with the SIM card not inserted yet.
I've read only one thread on AC forums stating that the SIM card gets activated when you turn the phone on initially, and then is permanently associated with that phone line (in this case, the secondary line).
I was curious as to ESN swapping the Thunderbolt to my primary line, but the thread also stated that I would have to get a new SIM card.
If I were to ESN swap BEFORE I put the SIM card into the Thunderbolt, would the SIM card be then associated with my Primary line? Or is the SIM card already shipped with data/information specifically for my secondary line?
ESN Swapping I'm pretty sure is 100% against the law and no one here will help you do that.
That being said, just activate it on that line and get a new sim, and then activate on your other, or call them to see if they can switch the ESN for you to be associated with your main line.
ESN swapping as in swapping the Phone with ESN #### on seconday linke with phone on the main line. Not against the law I do it with every single upgrade I do on my sub lines. VZW website and customer support is setup todo this.
In fact I got my ThunderBolt through the store, upgraded on a seconday line, then put it on my main line. I'm not sure what they did, because I was not the one who picked up the phone.
As far as the SIM card, I'd bring both phones into VZW store and have them do it for you. VZW is having a really hard time with this 4G phone launch. It may work if u do the ESN swap before the phone is turned on, it may not and u might get screwed. Doing it with the VZW Tech will ensure that its done right

[Q] SIM Card possibly Bad. switching to new SIM. What I need to know First.

my phone is having telephony issues...data works fine *most of the time* (sometimes drops on AOKP / AOSP Roms) but calling out and texting people is a guessing game to see if it will say SENDING for 5 minutes before giving me the expected and dreaded window, "message could not be sent"
This happens on all custom ROMS and even on the stock Vigor HTC sense ROM. Im S-Off too. Running Newts HTC OnE xXx Sense 4.1 ROM.
The SIM card i'm using in my Rezound now was previously in my (now motherboard DOA) Thunderbolt and is almost 2 years old (got the T-Bolt a month after it came out)
I bought the Rezound used and the guy wanted to keep his SIM. So I don't have a spare one.
I'm thinking after 2 years the SIM card is going out and needs to be replaced..(if you think the problem is caused by something else please let me know!)..but here is a few things I need to know before calling Verizon.
1. First off. CAN I DO THIS?
2. WILL activating a new SIM card in the old SIM card's place TAKE AWAY MY UNLIMITED DATA?. (This is the biggest factor here)
3. will activating a new SIM change my contract or put me on a new billing plan? (same as previous)
Thanks for all your help!...I don't trust calling Verizon because they will tell me anything to get me off my old plan. Once I'm properly informed. I will take the necessary steps to solve this problem
SIM cards are free and don't affect your contract in any way. There are some problems that sending you a new SIM is an early step in the standard troubleshooting procedure.
shrike1978 said:
SIM cards are free and don't affect your contract in any way. There are some problems that sending you a new SIM is an early step in the standard troubleshooting procedure.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
So they can activate it without changing my contract or taking away my unlimited data? and should I switch to a stock ROM before I call verizon?
Sent from my ADR6425LVW using xda premium
That would be the "safe" way. That way if they ask you to do any specific troubleshooting, you don't have to worry about faking it.
shrike1978 said:
That would be the "safe" way. That way if they ask you to do any specific troubleshooting, you don't have to worry about faking it.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I called Verizon Tech Support...and the woman it sounds like a "service issue" and the SIM card is part of the "service" ...and she said that would not change my contract at all. She ordered me a new SIM card and it should arrive at my house on Wednesday. (but most likely it will be delayed till Thursday because of Sandy)
I don't know if this idea applies, but it's worth looking into or maybe someone who knows more than me can comment but I know that on my iPad, when I loaded too many apps on it and didn't leave any 'room' for apps to operate, the iPad acted the same way as you've described.
I'm wondering if maybe the SD card you're using, is at or near its limit and if apps on Android phones act in a similar manner? Please check and let us know how much free space you have on your SD card.
The other thing it could be is oxidation on contacts within your phone. You mentioned that you've had it for a couple years. When you take the battery cover off, you can see several little gold contacts that connect to your battery cover which is the location of the antenna. If the contacts are corroded even the smallest amount, the impedance of the connections could be enough to degrade antenna performance. It would be difficult to see. You might want to try another battery cover if you have one, and see if that helps?

Quick Question

Hello,
So before today I was on the $50 unlimited plan on prepaid, which I filled up every month and I had never bought a phone from T-Mobile.
Today, I went in to buy the HTC One and I said I wanted the phone outright. They checked my account and said I am qualified. They also said that I can only do it with the $70 plan. Is this true? How do I change back to the $50 plan?
Also, they said 90-days for unlock. Is this true or can I do it before?
Crazysah
Also, they made it seem like I am now on postpaid instead of prepaid?
Can someone help shed light on this?
Sounds like the in-store people just f'd you over and changed you to postpaid without telling you. You'll probably have to get on the phone with customer service and fight with them for a while.
As for the unlock thing, there are tons of sites that will provide SIM unlock codes for a fee (usually like $10-$20), or T-Mobile will give people whose accounts are in good standing (or something) the code after 90 days. But I think you might be confused between SIM unlock and bootloader unlock. If you want to take your phone and use it on AT&T or in another country's network, you need SIM unlock. If you want to root and install custom ROMs, you need bootloader unlock. You can unlock your bootloader whenever you want from HTCdev for free.
Yeah, I'm talking about SIM unlock only. I need that as I live in India 4 months of the year. Is there anyway to change from postpaid back to prepaid? I don't want to be on postpaid at all. They said there was no other way I could buy the phone. I want the $50 plan (not the $70 one they put me on!)
He jagged you big time bro... But fear not!
If you haven't activated the sim on the plan yet then all you gotta do is call 611 T-Mobile from your PREPAID sim and tell them to active the other sim for you. Your number/plan will transfer over just fine.
If you already switched plans then you will need to buy another sim and do the above
Simple eh?
Sent from my HTC One using xda premium
Becool0130 said:
He jagged you big time bro... But fear not!
If you haven't activated the sim on the plan yet then all you gotta do is call 611 T-Mobile from your PREPAID sim and tell them to active the other sim for you. Your number/plan will transfer over just fine.
If you already switched plans then you will need to buy another sim and do the above
Simple eh?
Sent from my HTC One using xda premium
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
So, when I call them what do I tell them? He said that the SIM he put into the HTC One has a temporary number and either that SIM or the SIM in my current phone (HTC Explorer) will get a message saying it is activated. I haven't gotten any message now. So what can I do?
At the moment, my HTC Explorer with current SIM is still working and the new one is temporary but I think still working.
Crazysah said:
So, when I call them what do I tell them? He said that the SIM he put into the HTC One has a temporary number and either that SIM or the SIM in my current phone (HTC Explorer) will get a message saying it is activated. I haven't gotten any message now. So what can I do?
At the moment, my HTC Explorer with current SIM is still working and the new one is temporary but I think still working.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
It seems that the card is already activated. You cant just deactivate a card and reactivate it. Once deactivated you cant reactivate it, EVER.
Youll need to deactivate it to go from post to prepaid. You will need a new micr-sim and either:
1) slip it in the phone and it will work
if this doesnt work then there is step 2
2) call 611 from prepaid phone and tell them you want to transfer your number to other new sim. They will ask you for sim #. DONE!
As for this other plan they activated.. ask the prepaid person to transfer you over to post-paid customer service and talk to them about deleting that account. They cant do it, but they can refund you the money and let it not charge you ever again (if already charged)
All these steps should work so long as you paid for the phone in full. If not, you are bound by the terms/conditions to keep the post-paid account or to pay the phone off in full to get pre-paid.
I called them up and they just switched my account from postpaid to prepaid, gave me an unlock code and also activated Wifi calling for me. It was as easy as asking them to do it. The customer care was super helpful. I haven't received any of the confirmation emails they said they would send but I think I'm all good.
Anything else I need to be worried about?

Phone blocked from using other SIM cards?

Hello. I have bought a phone from one of the carriers in my country (they're everything, internet service providers, telephony-telecommunication for whole country, etc). I pay off that phone monthly, for a year, when my contract ends. With a phone I got a new phone number, their SIM card. Now, if I am to put another SIM card (another phone number) into my phone, it just doesn't recognize it, doesn't allow me to use that phone number, it acts as if SIM is not inside. (even if the SIM is from their own network)
So, I guess they did something to a phone, they limited him (blocked him somehow) so I can use only this provided SIM card from them, until my contract ends. I guess it's their way of insurance that I will pay the phone fully by the end of the contract. Anyone knows what exactly and how they did it? Is there a way to bypass this, like root the phone or something, so that I'm able to use another SIM cards aswell?
Phone is HTC ONE M9.

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