Report: T-Mobile’s Port Out Protection Glitch Prevents Users from Transferring Numbers

Due to the increase in SIM swap attacks, T-Mobile introduced its Port Out Protection feature to help safeguard users from unauthorized attempts to transfer T-Mobile numbers to other wireless providers. This initiative was designed to prevent fraudsters from taking over accounts, changing passwords, and draining financial accounts linked to those numbers. Although this feature has provided valuable security for T-Mobile customers, a notable issue has emerged.

According to a Reddit user, “T-Mobile’s ‘Port Out Protection’ is broken and cannot be removed from some accounts.” As reported by PhoneArena, this glitch poses a significant problem for users who need to disable the feature to successfully transfer their numbers to a new provider. The inability to remove Port Out Protection has effectively trapped some customers, making it impossible to port their numbers.

Other Reddit users have described this situation as feeling like their accounts are being "held hostage" while T-Mobile addresses the Port Out Protection bug. Although customers can choose to close their T-Mobile accounts before switching providers, they would lose the ability to retain their current phone numbers.

The Redditor also mentioned speaking to a representative from T-Mobile's 2nd Level Port Support, who confirmed that the feature is malfunctioning. Even when the tool is turned off, users are unable to port their numbers.

If you are facing this issue, it may be helpful to contact T-Mobile’s T-Force team via social media platforms like X (formerly Twitter) or Facebook for further assistance. However, as of now, T-Mobile has not released an official statement addressing the problem.

Source: PhoneArena