Released: February 24, 2019

Help Desk FAQ

Are my phone records private?

Phone records are an important source of private information, including billing address, payment information, call history and more—enough data to make it possible for someone to steal from or hurt the phone customer or his or her family. Scam artists, identity thieves, estranged spouses, stalkers, debt collectors, private investigators and others who want to track you down use phone records. Because of this, telling lies or pretending to be the account holder in order to get another person’s call records and telephone account information (called “pretexting”) is a crime under federal law and in virtually every state, as is giving or selling someone’s confidential phone records. A convicted pretexter could be fined or sent to prison.

Telephone carriers are required to take measures to protect account data and to verify identity before releasing information. Learn more about pretexting, how to protect yourself, and how to file a complaint in Consumer Action’s publication Protect Your Phone Records.