You don't need to be an 'investor' to invest in Singletrack: 6 days left: 95% of target - Find out more
Yesterday I received a direct debit confirmation from Three. I don't have an account with them so phoned them to find out what's going on. Someone has set up a new account and bought two iPhones using my name, address, DOB and bank account details. They used an email address which isn't mine, and then all communication went to that including the DPD tracking - which they then diverted away from my address. I have the DPD app, but nothing came up on that. Phones delivered somewhere (not here), and a couple of days later the first communication I receive is the DD letter. Stable door, horse etc 🙁
Next day, similar letter - this time from Sky Mobile. Sky caught the scam during their checks and cancelled the application before I contacted them.
I'm savvy about personal info - I don't do social media and put date of birth on anything online. I don't hand out my bank details unless VERY sure. But still some scumbags have got the necessary info, maybe from a data breach.
My experience is that Three and my bank (High Street big name, been with them for 40 years) were difficult to communicate with, evasive and took minimal action. My bank won't change the account number insisting I have to set up a new account and close the old one. They won't migrate DDs etc as they would for a new customer. Voting with my feet there... Sky Mobile were just brilliant. Very supportive, explained what had happened clearly, advised options I might consider to stop it getting any worse, gave me a direct name and contact number to follow up with, explained they would cancel the credit checks so as not to adversely effect my credit score etc. Can't praise them enough.
I feel pretty vulnerable - someone (maybe multiple someones) has enough personal info on my to set up credit accounts. I fear this isn't the end of the matter.
Be careful out there folks.
It might be worth doing a credit score check. That way you may be able to head any other 'purchases' off a bit earlier as any credit checks will be listed and other info on the general dashboard may give you hints/clues (maybe even the address they used?)
PS - If you join the Martin Lewis Money Saving experts Credit club you get one free credit check per month, but in your case I would probably pay for a months subscription to one of the big three so you can check every day for a while
Hi Daverhp, know what you’re going through, similar happened to my MiL and it was really distressing for her to deal with, she changed all her passwords, set up two factor authentication, had flags set on her accounts saying that she had been a victim of identity theft etc on the accounts affected and crucially set up a CiFAS account. They came back a 2nd time a few months later, managed to get past some of the security measures put in place (I suspect complacency in one of the call centres not asking for 2 factor authentication) but luckily the CiFAS system notified her that someone was setting up accounts in her name. Unfortunately she then had to go through the process of changing passwords etc again.
"They won’t migrate DDs etc as they would for a new customer. Voting with my feet there… "
Weird. Are they actively trying to lose customers. I haven't switched banks for at least a couple of decades. Happy with service (First Direct). So all these free £200 offers Martin Lewis publicises I view as more hassle than it's worth. If I got that sort of response after a fraud I'd be off as well.
For years I was getting someones bank statement posted to me every so often. I tried returning to sender in the post box. Tried phoning them. Kept coming. It was a similar address but not local enough I felt like going round in person to post it every time it came in. I think it was after the second time I phoned them and mention a complaint about date protection that they stopped.
Looks like someone has already set up another bank account for me - got home tonight and there's a PIN number from Barclays for a debit card. I don't have a Barclays account...
Half hour waiting for their fraudline to answer before giving up.
Interestingly in this case the name isn't mine...
I have a bad feeling I now may struggle to open a new bank account, leaving me a bit stuffed.
Surely they need more than just address and DOB as a lot of people’s are available on the internet?
It seems some companies are more rigorous than others. Three let them have 2 iPhones. Sky Mobile refused. Its a long time since I set up a bank account or phone contract, but this year I did get a new credit card just by completing a form essentially name, address, DOB, email address, bank account details. £5k credit limit approved online, card with me a few days later. Actually a bit scary.
And if you have someone's name and address, getting their DOB is simple and quick...
Can you set up a credit lock on your credit profile?
I've seen it advertised via Experian (I think) in the past where you have to do a verification thingy to allow an application to proceed? I think you'd have to be a subscriber.
Worth checking as an option?
Sorry it's a bit vague as it's a half memory of something I saw a few months back.
I’m concerned then as mine is readily available and I’m not able to remove it.
Had something similar with Amazon Prime - somehow someone managed to start using my Amex card to pay for their Prime. Amazon acknowledged that it was fraudulent but told me it was up to me to sort it! (Weird I know, but onwards...) So I got onto Amex, got a new card.....Prime payments continued! Only solution Amex could offer was to block all payments to Prime. Fine as I don't have or want Prime, but you do feel quite powerless.
So so weird.
What a bloody nightmare, one tip I was given years ago was to give false details on anything that doesn't actually need to know to real answer - ie when setting up answers to security questions.
In short devise a fictitious aka for you to remember & use.
Not connected but still worrying was the random persons new credit card that arrived at my house.
TBF I was waiting for a new one and pin number.the pin arrived, then a few days later some random ladies card arrived in the post.
Rang bank , got passed to card issuer . Caused a degree of consternation straight away and got escalated to management. Then we had the most insane conversation with him assuring me that what had happened couldn't happen and me being able to prove irrevocably that it had happened.
Card issuer unable to say where my card was and how I had received someone else's card. They issued another card and pin for me and cancelled the new one.
I use Credit Karma app, this alerts me anytime a credit search is done under my name - luckily it's not shown any problems yet. It does show when I start a new phone contract and things like that.
Half hour waiting for their fraudline to answer before giving up
Thats crazy. Lloyds intercept any unusual activity (sometimes it's me and I have to confirm that), and their fraud line is easy to get hold of. Still, I guess the OP didn't choose Barclays! Horrendous.
We had a data breach at a company used by my Employer. Employer has given us all "Experian Identity Plus" for a couple of years. Think it would normally cost about £10 a month but might be worth subscribing to for a year.
Three let them have 2 iPhones.
In a similar vein EE allowed financial abuse of an elderly relative and did nothing about it, rejected the complaint too.
Mobile phone companies tend to attract the bottom feeders in life as sales people.
Thats crazy. Lloyds intercept any unusual activity (sometimes it’s me and I have to confirm that), and their fraud line is easy to get hold of.
I wouldn't count on that - it's not my experience!
Barclays today - interesting... First line call handler adamant that I should just give the letter back to the postman and that would be the solution. Eventually argued my way to the fraud team who were brilliant, including setting me up with a year's free Cifas membership. Very, very good - unlike my bank.
Bizarrely, having logged the instances with Action Fraud (run by the Police) I've had three responses saying this doesn't class as a crime! So someone fakes my identity, grabs 3k worth of phones, and it's not a crime? The email from them reads.
The use of another person’s identity, often referred to as identity theft, is not a police recordable crime.
FFS!
So I got onto Amex, got a new card…..Prime payments continued!
because the card providers now automatically inform dd holders of the new card number in advance as a value add service.....
I can see how "use of another person’s identity" wouldn't in itself be a crime. If I reserve a table in a pub under the name David Beckham I don't think that's a crime. If I use deception to acquire goods/money then surely that is a crime.
Pertinent thread, got home from holiday to phone and Apple Watch and 5g sim I know nothing about at the house. On hold to o2 at present as they try to find out what is going on.
Pertinent thread, got home from holiday to phone and Apple Watch and 5g sim I know nothing about at the house. On hold to o2 at present as they try to find out what is going on.
Well at least you have them! Sounds like they failed to divert the courier....
… presumably because it’s rocketing and the government want crime figures to stay low.
Rampant crime, collapsing schools and hospitals, roads like minefields, these are all a price well worth paying for 2% off NI. I can't believe you can't see the bigger picture!
Thats crazy. Lloyds intercept any unusual activity (sometimes it’s me and I have to confirm that), and their fraud line is easy to get hold of.
I wouldn’t count on that – it’s not my experience!
It may depend on the bank branch, I don’t know, but I do know Lloyds were really on the ball a couple of years ago. I had a phone call unexpectedly, telling me there was unusual behaviour on my account, which I assumed was a scam call and hung up. Just to be on the safe side, I called my account manager on her personal mobile and left a message, she called back within a couple of minutes telling me to call them immediately, giving me the number.
There had been several transactions around London, and several more attempts, which they caught and stopped my card. Honestly couldn’t have been more efficient.
I have been with Lloyds for around 50 years, though.
Bank of Scotland sent me a text about fraudulent attempts on my card. They talked them all through. Meals in Birmingham and drinks in London at the same time.
With chase I declined a payment then got new card details. (On a local takeaway I never unclicked save card details on their website then the next night a just eat order was attempted).
On a local takeaway I never unclicked save card details on their website then the next night a just eat order was attempted.
On independents using bought in web services, who knows how many sites have been hacked and just relay card details on without anyone realising...
From the police email response;
An example of a situation in which we could record a crime would be where details were used to obtain credit, the use of which left the provider of credit with a financial loss. In these circumstances we would record a crime for the provider of the credit and look to establish if there was scope for the matter to be investigated.
who knows how many sites have been hacked and just relay card details on without anyone realising
Luckily Chase probably thought one takeaway is unusual for this guy, two in two days is unheard of. Their new card details was painless and was all processed within half an hour. My BoS card would probably take a few days for the same service.
All of my bank experiences have been positive, fingers crossed that continues
My son, Tom Wilson tends to wear a Tommy Hilfiger sock on one foot and a Wilson Sporting Goods on the other.
I warn him not to leave them unattended in the changing room at the gym for fear of identity theft.
I've found barclays pretty good.
They went absolutely ballistic when I tried to transfer a lump sum into an ISA lol! Several phone calls needed to sort it out.
What I would say is don't leave too much money in a current account.
And set up mobile alerts for direct debits and contactless purchases and then it should be pretty obvious if something funny is going on.
I’ve been a victim of identity theft three times in the past 10 years with two of the times being in the past 15 months, with both of those involving phone companies & retail credit.
The actual monetary value of the frauds is probably approaching £100k, though I haven’t had to pay a penny of that. I now have numerous CIFAS marker on my credit files, which are meant to have no effect on my credit rating, & haven’t actually made a difference to my scores (once the credit reference companies had accepted it wasn’t me taking out credit simultaneously in 6 different stores… ).
However, there has been a significant impact on my ability to obtain credit. Despite being with my bank for over 40 years, having my mortgage with them, my wife’s accounts being with them a similar length of time & both my kids having accounts with them, they wouldn’t authorise a loan for £5k to upgrade my car.
I can’t get retail finance, & I have to have enhances checks by mobile phone companies even though it was they who facilitated the fraud by less than stringent identity checks.
The Police do not investigate identity theft, but rather they refer you on to Action Fraud (I believe this is actually run by the City of London Police). I see no evidence whatsoever that Action Fraud investigate anything. I believe they merely record the details.
On the last two occasions there was CCTV of the offenders available at numerous jewellers & mobile phone shops. Nobody made any contact despite me informing action fraud of this.
I safeguard my personal information very closely, & much of the information the fraudsters used was incorrect, yet nobody flagged this up.
I had all of my HSBC accounts emptied into a different Barclays account via telephone banking. I was told “you have an Irish surname & the caller had a foreign accent, so we assumed it was genuine…”. I couldn’t get my breath.
I know this doesn’t help the OP but really it’s a word of warning that although you may get any money back & your credit score should return to normal, it means very little. Good luck 👍🏻
I’ve had three responses saying this doesn’t class as a crime!
I missed this on first read; I’ve never had any response whatsoever from action fraud. I’ve chased them up & had nothing. They should be sacked off & primacy for each investigation handed back to each force with a boost in budget to pay for the investigations. There’s currently literally zero accountability.
The Police do not investigate identity theft, but rather they refer you on to Action Fraud
Yeah, well I have reported an issue to Action Fraud before. They passed this onto the National Fraud Intelligence Bureau (NFIB). But as the issue originated outside of the UK then they couldn't anything about it and told me to speak to that country's equivalent. Took a bit of legwork from me, but the domain host that had the websites with my info in were good, did some investigations and took the websites down.
So it's not that easy and you have to do some work yourself rather than rely on UK agencies to help you.
Having reported fraud to o2 yesterday, o2 have now blocked my account and I can’t make or receive calls despite my actual account not being compromised.
Obviously impossible to speak with anyone that sort the matter out and it may take between three and 48 hours to resolve.