MEMPHIS, Tenn. — Residents in Boxtown already deal with spotty Wi-Fi and phone service, and as if that wasn’t enough, now copper used in their AT&T service lines is being stolen.
According to the FBI, copper thieves target electrical sub-stations, cellular towers and telephone landlines, taking and selling copper at scrap or junk yards.
Some of this infrastructure can contain approximately 50 pounds of copper with a potential growth adding up to hundreds of dollars.
AT&T confirmed to ABC24 that they are aware of the repeated copper thefts in the Boxtown area, and crews were out there Tuesday working to repair those down service lines.
But residents said it will continue to happen if MPD doesn’t do anything to deter the criminals from going after the copper.
"If it gets fixed today, two days later, it’s gone again," Boxtown resident Alexis Humphreys said.
That’s how those living in Boxtown describe the last couple of months as their internet and landline phone service continually go out.
“[It's] very costly to AT&T, but it’s life-threatening to the people who live in the neighborhoods," Daniel Lewis said.
Residents said outages occur four times within the first couple of months of this year.
Metal salesman Andrew Miceli said that while most metals reached their peak high last year, metal began to rise a bit more in recent months.
"If it’s worth money, people are going to go get it," Miceli said.
This theft in Boxtown costs some business.
“I have a small little t-shirt business, so I do t-shirts, car decals and stuff, and if the Wi-Fi keeps going out, I can’t keep my business going because the internet keeps going out," Humphreys said.
And for others, it's a threat to their safety.
“We have senior citizens out here. Suppose an emergency comes up. How are we going to contact 911 when...they’re stealing our copper?" Boxtown resident Easter Knox said.