[rayw]

Anybody else get a monthly AT&T email newsletter including the last 4 digits of their "new" phone number?

Since I hadn't signed up for a new phone from AT&T, I thought my identity had been stolen. Customer service wouldn't talk to me because I didn't have the security code and told me to go the the local AT&T Wireless store to sort things out. They connected me to the fraud hotline. They could find no record of me and suggested I monitor my credit on-line periodically to see if any strange things show up. I left the store feeling sick.

While sitting in my car getting ready to drive away, it occurred to me that the On-Star folks called me a week or so ago and offered me a wireless plan for the car, which I declined. So I pushed the On-Star button and asked the nice lady, if by chance, my car had a new cell phone number.

Mystery solved! My new car has a phone number - unknown to me at the time - but it's got one. Apparently On-Star issues you (your car) a number and lets AT&T have your email id so they can start sending you spam! Thank goodness my identity wasn't compromised but it sure was a scare.