ATLANTA — A national cellular service company is putting its wealth where its wires are and offering up thousands of dollars to help catch thieves hurting its business.
AT&T said it will pay up to $10,000 for information leading to captures and convictions.
The company said Georgia is among the top five states it operates in for stolen copper wire, with 444 reported thefts in 2026.
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The telecommunications giant said that was an average of about two thefts per day in Georgia.
“The thefts are more than property crimes – they can disrupt internet and phone service for businesses, hospitals, and entire neighborhoods,” AT&T said in a statement.
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In the metro Atlanta area, AT&T said thieves cut part of a large cable serving the Lithonia area, causing a nursing home and several businesses to lose their service.
Another incident in the same community led to a loss of service for people living in three different neighborhoods.
The company said thieves posed as construction workers in yet another incident and stole almost 4,000 feet of copper wiring, equal to 13 football fields, leaving another neighborhood without internet services for 24 hours.
AT&T has a reporting hotline set up for people to call with information and get a chance to earn a reward for it.
“This reward sends a clear message: Copper theft is a serious crime, and stopping it requires continued coordination across communities, law enforcement, public officials, recyclers and communications providers,” Riley Blount, AT&T Georgia President, wrote in the announcement.
AT&T said that anyone who sees suspicious activity around utility lines, poles, manholes or communications equipment should contact local law enforcement.
The company is also urging witnesses to report what they see to AT&T Global Security at 1-800-807-4205.
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