Pay monthly services

[Brett]

Hello,

I'd be most grateful for some advice.

I recently received a letter from Vodafone telling me that a direct debit has been set up by them on my behalf. I do not have a phone account with Vodafone and never have. The direct debit instruction was posted to my correct address, in my name but the bank details were not my account. Vodafone also performed a credit check on me (without my consent) to enable the new account. I reported everything to Vodafone on 4th May and they have told me that they are performing a fraud investigation. They have given me a case number but I have no phone number for the fraud dept (they were unable to give me one). I still have heard nothing from Vodafone since they began the investigation (10 days ago). Should I contact the police? I am concerned that if the phone number is used for illegal purposes it would be traceable to me. I am also concerned about identity theft.

Many thanks

Brett

[biffo1963]

Speaking purely as a layman I think it couldn't do any harm to notify the police.  Although the bank account being used is not yours, someone setting up a fraudulent account  is very likely to close that bank account once they have their hands on the phone, and then you could in theory have Vodafone pursuing you for the money.  And as you say you could easily have been the victim of identity theft , in which case it's unlikely to stop here.    But rest assured you've done the right thing by notifying Vodafone's Fraud team as soon as you discovered the problem.

[Dave · Accepted solution]

Hi Brett,

I certainly appreciate the anxiety caused by this situation.

The checks carried out can take a couple of weeks to complete, and once this is done, if any fraud is confirmed then any charges which may have been incurred due to that fraud are removed automatically and the account cancelled.

So we can confirm that the check is ongoing and look to reassure you that this is being addressed, I'll pop you a PM.

You can find your PM inbox here. If you can't access this link, please ensure that the box next to "Turn on private messages" is ticked on this page, and let us know if you need any further assistance.

Dave

[Brett]

Thanks Dave,

I have now in fact received a letter from Vodafone confirming that the account was opened fraudulently. They have closed the account and written off any balance (as you said). They have also placed a CIFAS warning against my name to help prevent further fraud.

I appreciate your message as it definitely helped put my mind at rest.

Best wishes

Brett

[SE_SOMS]

Dear Forum

Please can someone help, I am getting incredibly frustrated.  Someone has committed fraud on my account and purchased iPHONES.  Vodafone have been good in accepting financial responsibility (as relayed by operators) & the advisor that identified it happening was good.  She advised me to set up a password to protect my account.  However, none of the advisors I spoke to after her used it.  And one advisor, when I told her it should be used, told me what it was!

Trying to get information about what is going on is like pulling teeth.  I have made several phone calls asking for information.  One resulted in being put on hold for 30 minutes when I asked for a manager, only to be told there was no manager.  The operator did not know any managers to transfer me to. I have also now sent two emails. As you can imagine, I am furious.  I have been instore to verify my identity, but this has not been rectified on screen & the advisors spoken to cannot view this information.  I have cancelled my direct debit to protect myself & have tried to pay in store but cannot as my account has not been resolved. I have now received a text saying that my account is overdue & I may loose my service!!

And all through this, I have had absolutely no contact from the fraud department.  I had a customer survey carried out yesterday by a group saying they carry out calls on fraud investigations that are closed.  Is my case closed?  I have no idea, the balance on my account hasn't been resolved. 

I am beginning to lose faith in Vodafone.  Please can someone restore it.  And please, please, please, can you give your staff better training briefs, especially on data protection otherwise this will happen again, and again.  And a team of fraud advisors who understand the process would be good.

S

[Lee]

Hi there SE_SOMS,

Thanks for your post.

I can certainly understand your frustration with the situation being as it is. The Fraud, Risk & Security team can be secretive, but that's essential due to the nature of the query. It also helps protect both parties from further activity of a fraudulent nature.

I've sent you a PM which can be accessed here. If you could follow the instructions in the PM and send us your details one of the team will be with you as soon as they can to see what we can find out for you.

We may need to increase the security on your account too.

Cheers,

Lee

[sheldon_1987_25]

I am new to the forum. I have been the victim of fraud on my account which i reported in March when I wanted to cancel the contract as it was coming to an end. Vodafone said they would look into it and advised me to cancel my direct debit until they have sorted it.  which they have and sent me a letter to say there has been a fraud and that everything has been removed from my account and my original contract terms re-instated and they will send me an invoice. I thought great that is the end of that and the contract was finished.

I am now getting letters from a debt collection company chasing payment for 3 months worth of missed payments. 1) They have not sent me the invoice so how can I pay the 1 month that I agree I should pay but why are there 2 other payments. I have contacted Vodafone via e-mail and tried to explain the situation to them but all they say is that the contract was upgraded in Oct 2011, which was not me. I ask them for information relating to it but get nowhere. I am really frustrated at the way they are dealing with it. I do not use the phone hence why I did not want to renew when it came to an end.

Please can somebody help as I want to get this problem dealt with.

[James]

Hi Sheldon_1987_25,

Thanks for bringing this to our attention.

I would like to offer the assistance of our team in getting this investigated and resolved for you.

To do this, please follow the instructions on the PM that I have sent you and one of our team will be able to call you directly to get everything sorted for you.

You can find your PM inbox here.

James

[dn]

Dear Dave, 

I have an issue with potential fraud on my account. It looks like my sim card on my account got activated and used without my permission. I contacted the Fraud department over email and phone but still had no reploy, can you please assist. 

Kind Regards,

David 

[Ben_H]

Hi David,

Thanks for posting. If your query is already with our Fraud, Risk and Security team, then there's little else we can do until their investigation is complete as we'll not be privy to the details for security reasons. 

I can understand if you're a little concerned, however they will be in touch once your case is complete. If you've not yet had a case raised, feel free to contact us using the instructions I've sent via Private Message. You can find your PM inbox here. 

Cheers, Ben

[JHurst]

I have recieved an iphone with vodaphone sim card that I did not order (someone tried to intercept the package by telling the courier they were me. I have reported this to the Police who say it is up to me to sort things out - including finding out who the supplier was cancelling any contrat in my name and returning the phone. When I emailed Vodaphone  I was told to contact the customer services but the number given in the email is a dead line. Please could you send me a PM too telling me how to get in touch with the fraud team.

[Dave]

Hi JHurst,

I'm popping you a PM now so we can get this sorted for you. We'll need to get some details and then we'll get this raised to the fraud team.

You can find your PM inbox here. If you can't access this link, please ensure that the box next to "Turn on private messages" is ticked on this page, and let us know if you need any further assistance.

Dave

[Ben_H]

Hi JHurst,

Many thanks for your time on the phone this morning. As discussed, our customer services team will be in touch as soon as the investigation is complete. It may take days or weeks even but if you need any assistance or wish wish to touch base with us in the meantime, you know where to find my team.

Cheers, Ben

[Tripod]

This is concerning. I too have had it done to me on 21/08/2012.

I have had someone sign up to an iphone contract on my account - and Vodafone are being very, very sloppy about protecting my account. I also have no idea when this issue will be investigated and resolved.

Looking online, it seems this is happening more often than I thought. My incident happened on 21/08/2012. I called customer services about an enquiry @ 13:16, and during the course of my call, which lasted 14mins 15 secs... a text message arrived on my phone @ 13:22 stating I would have a 'parcel' delivered to me.

I didn't notice the text message until after I had finished with the call. To cut a long story short, it turns out someone had signed me up to an iphone + brand new iphone handset to be delivered next day! (No mention of the word iphone or any such contract had been made at an point during my initial conversation with vodafone)

The next day someone perporting to be me called up vodafone to get the 'delivery consignment' number. The delivery had been set to arrive at my address and I can only assume someone was trying to intercept it.

Vodafone cannot tell me when it will get sorted out, whether or not money for fradulent contract will come out of my account before they conclude their investigation, when they will conclude investigation, who (internally) set up account. What do I do?!!

Are they compromising my identity?
How did someone 'manage' to sign up to another contract in my name - within minutes (and during) of my call to their '191' customer services number?

It seems I am not alone. I notice vodafone say 'it is bacause someone may have got hold of your details' - but I suspect an internal security loophole - i.e. a rogue employee or system leak. I will go to a lawyer as it is distressing. How comes the stories are similar....

[DaveCD]

Hi Tripod

Thank you for your posts and a very warm welcome to the eForum.

I am sorry to see that you have been a victim of fraud, as Ben_H mentioned earlier,  If your query is already with our Fraud, Risk and Security team, then there's little else we can do until their investigation is complete as we'll not be privy to the details for security reasons. 

So I can check that a case has been raised please follow the Private Message I have sent to you, once we have your response either myself or one of the team will be in touch as soon as we can.

You can find your PM inbox here.

Our calls are recorded and like big brother our activities on screen can be monitored, I highly doubt that a rogue employee would be able to commit such an act, however all possibilities will be investigated.

Many Thanks

DaveCD
eForum Team

[Tripod]

I am exasperated that you rule our a 'rogue' employee..or maybe there is a security compromise in your system?

Like I say....I called customer services on 191 @ 1.16pm....whilst I was on hold (call lasted for over 15mins) a text message arrived  @ 1.22pm to my phone (same line I was calling from) to say a delivery had been arranged. The person who answered the phone initially had said to me that the 'systems were down' and they could not access my account.....

It seems very fishy that I was on call to vodafone, and during that call - where no mention was made about 'iphone', 'new contract' etc...I received a text message "This is to confirm your Vodafone order has been placed fro delivery"...It later transpires that an iphone along with contract has been ordered. I do not believe it is a coincidence. The two are very definitely related - inside Vodafone.

You can refuse to believe it, but I am convinced it is due to a compromised issue inside vodafone. Phone records and conversation recording will indicate I am right in my thinking.

[JHurst]

Further to my last posting / conversation with Ben ( sorry did not get phone number so having to reply here). Do they not even need me to return the phone yet? The other companies have sent me return bags and one has even concluded the investigation! It makes me nervous still having the phone, especially when you hear of some of the nightmare situations people have gone through waiting for investigation to conclude. I didn't order the phone and want to return it ASAP- even if the investigation takes longer!

[James]

Hi Tripod,

At no point are we ruling out any possible scenario’s as this is the responsibility of our fraud teams however, DaveCD was only advising you of the setup that we operate to make sure that data is kept safe within the company every time you speak with us.

However, if it is an internal issue then this will indeed be picked up by the call recordings and it will then be dealt with immediately.

@ JHurst, you don’t need to worry as this is simply how our process works, if there is a fraud case we need to complete the investigation before a handset return can be arranged.

To be honest it is rare that a delivery is sent to the account holder in most fraud cases however; once the investigation is complete we can get everything else sorted in relation to the outcome of the investigation.

James

[Tripod]

James,

Well the fraud team came to the conclusion that "further investigation confirms that this addition has been made fraudently.....charges will be credited prior to any request for payment or direct debit"...

But guess what? My bill has been issued and the 'fraudeulent' charges are on it and due to be debited from my bank account. What can I do?
I was assure in writing by Vodafone that this scenario would not happen and that I wouldn't be charge for a fraudulent line on my account.....but hey, why believe anything vodafone does!?!!

But I get no access to any further results. Fraud has been committed against my identity. My personal details have been stolen, yet vodafone seem reluctant to co-operate fully and let me know what items of my personal details have been compromised whilst in their possession!

So will vodafone do regular credit checks on me over the next few months to ensure I do not suffer as a result of their breach? No.

Will they help me by telling me which of my personal details were compromised? No.

Will they tell me whether it was an internal security compromise or an external party has my details (details which could be used to commit further financial fraud).....? No

Vodafone have no interest in safeguarding private information. If things go wrong - they won't want to help you prevent further fraud on your identitiy. Compliant? Hmmmm

[DaveCD]

Hi Tripod

Thank you for your post and I am sorry to see the frustration that this has caused you.

We are unable to intervene in any fraud investigation however so we can take a look at what payments are happening please follow the Private Message I have sent to you, once we have your response either myself or one of the team will be in touch as soon as we can.

I have been unable to find any previous email correspondence, this may be down to a difference in the email address on your profile.

You can find your PM inbox here.

Many Thanks

DaveCD
eForum Team