A Bizarre Workplace Mystery: When Office Phones Become a Target

In the past year, my work environment has transformed into a perplexing scene reminiscent of a mystery thriller. Our office phones seem to have fallen victim to continuous hacking, with evidence pointing toward a possibly malicious colleague. Despite reaching out to AT&T for assistance, we have found ourselves at an impasse, leaving us to seek guidance from the wider community.

The Dilemma

The situation has escalated to a level that makes me consider resigning. The management remains skeptical, struggling to comprehend that someone might jeopardize their career for such antics. The thought of continuing to work in this toxic atmosphere deeply unnerves me, yet I yearn for justice before I walk away. Ironically, this workplace is home to a law firm; if our suspicions are correct, this colleague could face serious legal consequences if caught.

We suspect that one particular coworker, who has a history of ill will toward others and a penchant for wicked pranks, is behind the chaos. The atmosphere has become so tense and distrustful; it feels like a game of Clue where every colleague could potentially be the perpetrator. The challenge is to maintain my composure while knowing that this situation is exactly what the instigator aims to achieve.

The Evidence

Our office operates with antiquated phones manufactured by Comdial (now known as Zeracom), and the service is provided through AT&T. We have six lines, with one serving as the primary contact for our clients, directing calls to secondary lines if busy. Alarmingly, individual lines are being forwarded to a dubious-sounding dating service multiple times a day, with today being no exception—we’ve had four incidents before noon! To revert the forwarding, we must manually dial commands, which is both time-consuming and frustrating. The recorded message we hear is often indistinguishable, making it hard to determine if this is a genuine service or just a ruse.

After consulting with ten different professionals—those from AT&T and the phone system’s creators—we were informed that the hacking must originate from within the office itself. Yet, our supervisors remain in denial, suggesting we switch providers instead of addressing the real concern: an employee who might be sabotaging the firm. The individual we suspect happens to also handle check deposits, complicating matters further. For context, one of my few allies in this ordeal is my mother, our office accountant; together we’ve pieced together our suspicions and