DALLAS, TX- AT&T(NASDAQ: T) The network provider launched a lawsuit against three of its former employees for adding malicious software that unlocks the company’s cellphones.
AT&T recently filed a lawsuit against three of its employees who were caught on the act charged with the accusation of secretly unlocking cellphones. The news was first reported by PCmag.com which reported that the three were paid by another company to add malicious software programs on AT&T’s phones.
The names of the three employees are Marc Sapatin, Nguyen Lam and Kyra Evans and they were all mentioned in a complaint filed by AT&T with Seattle’s U.S. District Court last week.
For the record, Schemes for unlocking devices in bulk are common, and the defendants have participated in such schemes. The software they used made automated requests to unlock the devices enabling customers to use the phones outside the AT&T contract. This would obviously allow to third party members – such as the company who allegedly payed the three employees – to sell the cellphones for a lower price at the resale market.
The name of the company is Swift Unlocks, operated by Prashant Vira, and as it is mentioned in the complaint, it “paid Evans at least $20,000” while also according to the complaint, when a phone is unlocked, “it can be used on multiple carrier systems rather than exclusively with AT&T”.
Though the lawsuit does not mention criminal fraud, it does cite a law that could potentially trigger the arrest of the – now former – employees.
So far, things are holding from a thin string so it could all escalate quickly between the two firms. For the time being, AT&T has not released any information on the financial damage that has been caused, while neither Swift Unlocks, nor AT&T’s lawyers have respond to any of the requests to make a comment. However stay tuned to witness first-hand how things go from here for the three defendants, AT&A as well as Swift Unlocks.
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