Three former AT&T employees sued for unlocking phones secretly in Washington State by AT&T Mobility. If a subscriber wants to legally unlock the phone, he can request their carrier only when he or she has paid the full contract so that they can use any cellular network operator.

These ex-sales reps, all from cities outside of Seattle, ostensibly helped in unlocking thousands of cell phones. The American telecom giant claims that a company called Swift Unlocks paid AT&T employee Kyra Evans $20,000 and Marc Sapatin $10,500 to install unlock software in the carrier’s systems in 2013.

The cellular company claims that the third employee, Nguyen Lam, participated, but does not claim he was paid. The malicious software made automated requests to unlock the cell phones so that they could be used on any cellular network.

Three Former AT&T employees sued for unlocking phones secretly along with the company Swift Unlocks that paid them to install malicious software. The suit didn’t mention criminal fraud, but one of the laws it cites is a criminal statute. But they will have to pay the damages it has cost to the American telecom giant.

Three former AT&T employees sued for unlocking phones by AT&T and the company wrote in a statement:

“We’re seeking damages and injunctive relief from several people who engaged in a scheme a couple of years ago to illegally unlock wireless telephones used on our network. It’s important to note that this did not involve any improper access of customer information, or any adverse effect on our customers.”