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This website provides copies of correspondence which may assist, in a small way, dealing with life's absurdities, corporate greed and other matters sent to try us.
A parcel arrived containing an O2 mobile phone. O2 were contacted the same day and shortly agreed that a fraud had taken place. O2 failed to take action and a series of bills each more threatening than the last arrived a month later.
You can click on a date to link to the item on this page.
| 30 November 2011 13:00 | Web Form | To | Initial complaint about unsolicited goods. |
| 30 November 2011 13:03 | From | Automated acknowledgement. | |
| 30 November 2011 14:00 | Letters | To Banks | Instructions not to honour any payment requested by O2. |
| 1 December 2011 09:02 | From | Informed that O2 have "web chat" needs account! | |
| 1 December 2011 10:52 | To | "I do not have an O2 account, never have, never will". | |
| 1 December 2011 10:55 | From | Automated acknowledgement. | |
| 2 December 2011 07:06 | From | Requesting personal information! | |
| 2 December 2011 10:30 | To | Request matter handed to Police. | |
| 3 December 2011 06:39 | From | Fraud confirmed still requesting personal information. | |
| 29 December 2011 | Bill | From | Reminder. |
| 2 January 2012 | Bill | From | Reminder. |
| 4 January 2012 | Bill | From | Reminder. |
| 4 January 2012 | Letter | To Ronan Dunne, CEO | First bills arrived from O2. |
| 9 January 2012 | Bill | From | Reminder. |
| 10 January 2012 | Bill | From | Reminder. |
| 10 January 2012 | Letter | From Action Fraud | Confirmation the crime has been registered. |
| 12 January 2012 12:05 CET | From | Response to Spanish web form asking CEO for progress. | |
| 12 January 2012 11:52 | To | Complaint Review Service request investigation. | |
| 12 January 2012 11:52 | From | Complaint Review Service automated acknowledgement. | |
| 13 January 2012 | Phone call | From | "Cath" confirms two accounts closed. |
| 13 January 2012 | Letter | From | Apology from Executive Relations. |
| 15 January 2012 12:40 | To | Repeat request for Police involvement and compensation. | |
| 17 January 2012 | Letter | From | Written confirmation of the previous phone call. |
| 23 January 2012 09:43 | From | Response from Executive Relations. | |
| 31 January 2012 19:57 | To | Ombudsman requesting investigation. | |
| 3 February 2012 | Letter | From | The £50 GBP cheque arrived. |
| 8 February 2012 16:55 | To | Ombudsman requesting progress update. | |
| 8 February 2012 16:57 | From | Ombudsman automated acknowledgment. | |
| 8 February 2012 | To | Ombudsman requesting progress update. |
The O2 website is not the easiest to navigate especially without an O2 account. Eventually I found the contact web page which contained a web form to complete.
Today 30 November 2011 I signed for a parcel delivered by Yodel. It contained an Iphone serial no ... and monthly pay sim serial no ... mobile no .... The order addressed to me included the order ref: ... despatch date 29/11/2011. I did NOT place this order.
I refer you to the Sale of Goods Act and the Distance Selling Regulations. I am treating the parcel as "unsolicited goods". I am entitled to treat it as an unconditional gift and to do with as I choose. I am not required to keep the parcel but I will for ten workings days from the date of this email. This gives you time to retrieve the parcel. I re-emphasise that I have not placed this order and have certainly not authorised payment. If a payment is deducted from any of my bank accounts in relation to this order then this is fraud.
I will copy this letter to Trading Standards and let them consider what action is to be taken. I would like you to write to me with an apology and compensation and then remove all my personal information from your database. In good time I will raise the matter with the Information Commissioner's Office to ensure that all my personal data has been removed.
The acknowledgement by O2 that the web form has been received.
From: "mycarewebform" (mycarewebform@o2mail.co.uk)
To: ...
Subject: Acknowledgement from O2 Customer Service (...)
Date: 30 November 2011 13:03
THIS IS AN AUTOMATIC ACKNOWLEDGEMENT OF RECEIPT OF YOUR EMAIL. PLEASE
DO NOT REPLY TO THIS EMAIL AS REPLIES TO AUTO ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS WILL
REMAIN UNANSWERED.
Hi,
Thanks for getting in touch.
We'll look into your query and get back to you as quickly as we can,
normally within 24 hours.
If you're emailing about the new iPhone 4, you can find loads of
information here:
http://www.o2.co.uk/iPhone
If your iPhone's been lost or stolen please call us on 0870 607 2302, so
that we can prevent any unauthorised use of it.
While you won't be able to reply to this email, if you need to contact
us again you can visit www.o2.co.uk/emailus
In the meantime did you know we've put lots of answers to your
frequently asked questions online? Why not visit our online help centre
at www.o2.co.uk/help
Kind regards,
O2 Customer Service
Telefónica UK Limited, Registered Office 260 Bath Road, Slough, SL1 4DX.
Registered in England and Wales No. 1743099.
*********************************************************************************
Dear O2 Customer, Please note that this is an unmonitored email account and we will
not be able to respond to your query. If you have a query about your service please
visit www.o2.co.uk/help or email us at mailto:mycare@o2mail.co.uk where it will
receive our attention.
Regards, O2 Customer Care
This communication is from Telefonica UK Limited. Registered office: 260 Bath Road,
Slough SL1 4DX. Registered in England and Wales: 1743099. VAT number: GB 778 6037
*********************************************************************************
Trading Standards phoned me and confirmed that the content I included in the web form was fine. They suggested contacting our banks. They suggested at a later time checking O2 for Data Protection compliance and credit reference agencies. The letters to the banks were sent first class that afternoon. I avoid the phone as it is harder to produce as evidence in court.
Following advice received from Trading Standards, I would like to inform the bank that my wife, Mrs ..., and I may be in danger of being defrauded. My wife sent an email to O2, which was acknowledged, as follows:
... [Ed. the automatic acknowledgement above was included]
Our concern is that we may be the target of identity and financial fraud. We have not purchased any product or service from O2. Until informed otherwise, do not pay any amount to O2, do not allow a debit or credit card payment to O2, do not set up any standing orders in favour of O2 and do not set up any direct debit in favour of O2. If any such attempts are made, these are fraudulent, should not be honoured and should immediately be reported to the Police. Trading Standards suggested that the bank may be able to confirm our impeccable credit record and to see if anyone has run a recent check. It may be that the fraudster has run a recent check.
I look forward to your confirmation that my instructions will be complied with.
Thank you for your assistance.
From: "mycarewebform" (mycarewebform@o2mail.co.uk)
To: ...
Subject: Re: Contact O2 (...)
Date: 01 December 2011 09:02
Hi Thanks for your email. Did you know, you can use our webchat service
to get an answer now? Just click on the link and wait for the ?Chat Now?
button to pop up: www.o2.co.uk/contactus If you?d rather get a reply by
email, we need a bit more info. Just reply with the details below and
we?ll get back to you as soon as we can: The 2nd and 3rd characters of
the answer to your security question.( It's the question we ask you when
you call us (e.g your mother's maiden name, your pet's name or the first
school you went to). The date you got your last bill. And, how much it
was for. Thanks O2 Customer Service
Original Message Follows: ------------------------
Form Message
msg_firstname: ...
msg_lastname: ...
Email Address: ...
msg_non-o2-msisdn: 0000000000
usertype: Browser
userseg: None
msg_postcode: ...
Subject: Contact O2
Message Body:
Today 30 November 2011 I signed for a parcel delivered by Yodel. It
contained an Iphone serial no ... and monthly pay sim serial
no ... mobile no .... The order addressed to me
included the order ref: ... despatch date 29/11/2011. I did NOT
place this order. I refer you to the Sale of Goods Act and the Distance
Selling Regulations. I am treating the parcel as "unsolicited goods". I
am entitled to treat it as an unconditional gift and to do with as I
choose. I am not required to keep the parcel but I will for ten workings
days from the date of this email. This gives you time to retrieve the
parcel. I re-emphasise that I have not placed this order and have
certainly not authorised payment. If a payment is deducted from any of
my bank accounts in relation to this order then this is fraud. I will
copy this letter to Trading Standards and let them consider what action
is to be taken. I would like you to write to me with an apology and
compensation and then remove all my personal information from your
database. In good time I will raise the matter with the Information
Commissioner's Office to ensure that all my personal data has been
removed.
*********************************************************************************
Dear O2 Customer,
Please note that this is an unmonitored email account...blah blah blah as above
*********************************************************************************
O2 are so incompetent that they ask for security information for a fraudulent account. Notice the poor quality using a special character as an apostrophe. O2 is supposed to be a "technical" company. Hopeless.
From: ...
To: "mycarewebform" (mycarewebform@o2mail.co.uk)
CC: "my care" (mycare@o2mail.co.uk)
Subject: Re: Contact O2 (...)
Date: 01 December 2011 10:52
I do not have an O2 account. I have never had an O2 account.
I am never likely to purchase an O2 product given the customer service
that I have experienced. Please read the email and act accordingly.
----- Original Message -----
From: mycarewebform
...[Ed. as above]
From: "mycarewebform" (mycarewebform@o2mail.co.uk) To: ... Subject: Acknowledgement from O2 Customer Service (...) Date: 01 December 2011 10:55 THIS IS AN AUTOMATIC ACKNOWLEDGEMENT OF RECEIPT OF YOUR EMAIL. PLEASE DO NOT REPLY TO THIS EMAIL AS REPLIES TO AUTO ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS WILL REMAIN UNANSWERED. Hi, ... [Ed. as above]
From: "mycarewebform" (mycarewebform@o2mail.co.uk)
To: ...
Subject: O2 - Fraud (PM) (...)
Date: 02 December 2011 07:06
Hello ... [Ed. use of first name shows lack of respect]
I'm sorry for the inconvenience caused to you.
I've checked our records and found an account registered in your name
with the details you've included in your email.
Please reply to this email with the following information so that we can
help you further with this matter:
your name
your daytime contact number
preferred time to call
your date of birth
employment details
length of time at current address.
When we receive the above information, we'll arrange this matter to be
investigated by our Fraud Investigation team who deal with such queries.
I appreciate your patience with this matter.
Regards
Himanshi
O2 Customer Service
Did you know, you can chat with a customer service advisor online? Just
click on the link and wait for the 'Chat Now' button to appear, try
refreshing the page if it doesn't appear right away:
www.o2.co.uk/contactus
Telefónica UK Limited, Registered in England No 1743099. Registered
Office: 260 Bath Road, Slough, Berkshire SL1 4DX.
*********************************************************************************
Dear O2 Customer,
Please note that this is an unmonitored email account...blah blah blah as above
*********************************************************************************
This email reinforced the impression that Telephonica / O2 is at best incompetent. They have been told I am not a "Dear O2 Customer" and never will be. Only a fraudster would ask the victim for MORE personal information. O2 should have reported the matter immediately to the police.
From: ...
To: "mycarewebform" (mycarewebform@o2mail.co.uk) ; (mycare@o2mail.co.uk)
Subject: Re: O2 - Fraud (PM) (...)
Date: 02 December 2011 10:36
If you have found my name and address on your records, this is fraud and you
must hand the matter over to the Police immediately. Please email me the
Police case number and the Police contact.
I have never given out any personal details to O2 and I will never purchase
any product from O2. I expect you to remove my name and address and all
related details from your database as this information has been obtained
through fraud. Please can you confirm that no account has been set up by
the fraudster in my name. I have contacted my banks to inform them of
suspected fraud and they have been instructed not to honour any request for
payment made by O2.
I look forward to receiving your letter of explanation, apology,
compensation and confirmation that the O2 database no longer holds the data
that the fraudster supplied.
Thank you
Mrs ...
From: "mycarewebform" (mycarewebform@o2mail.co.uk)
To: ...
Subject: O2 - Fraud (PM) (...)
Date: 03 December 2011 06:39
Hello ... [Ed. use of first name shows lack of respect]
I'm sorry for the inconvenience may have been caused to you.
I understand that a fraudulent account has been set up under your name.
Please try and understand, we need the details to investigate this
matter further. So, I'd request you to email us with the following
information :
your name
your daytime contact number
preferred time to call
your date of birth
employment details
length of time at current address.
Once we'll receive the above details. We'll then help you.
I appreciate your understanding and co-operation with this matter.
Did you know, you can chat with a customer service advisor online? Just
click on the link and wait for the 'Chat Now' button to appear, try
refreshing the page if it doesn't appear right away:
www.o2.co.uk/contactus
Regards
Sakshi
O2 Customer Service
Telefónica UK Limited, Registered in England No 1743099. Registered
Office: 260 Bath Road, Slough, Berkshire SL1 4DX.
*********************************************************************************
Dear O2 Customer,
Please note that this is an unmonitored email account...blah blah blah as above
*********************************************************************************
O2 "fraudsters" are trying once again to obtain MORE personal information. Again O2 do not involve the police. This email confirms that a fraudulent account has been set up in my name. At this point O2 should have qualified the account so that no bills would be sent out. The incompetent O2 failed to take this simple step.
O2 has confirmed that a fraud has taken place. This is where my involvement in the matter should have ended. O2 should have written to me confirming that the matter had been handed to the Police and have compensated me for my inconvenience due to their failure to prevent fraudulent accounts being set up.
The first bill arrived.
To: Mr Ronan Dunne Chief Executive Officer Telefónica O2 UK 260 Bath Road Slough SL1 4DX 4 January 2012 Dear Mr DunneRef: Fraudulent Action by Telefónica O2 UK Mobile Phone Sales Staff
Without prejudice
Today I was surprised to receive a bill for £43.70 GBP (immediate payment required) especially as the previous email correspondence from Sakshi (O2 Customer Service), email address mycarewebform@o2mail.co.uk, dated 3 December 2011 06:39, subject O2 - Fraud (PM) (...) contained the following statements "I'm sorry for the inconvenience may have been caused to you." and "I understand that a fraudulent account has been set up under your name.". You should be aware that I have followed the advice of Trading Standards in this matter, particularily in the matter of not giving out any further personal information.
I repeat the content of my email dated 2 December 2011 10:36.
If you have found my name and address on your records, this is fraud and you must hand the matter over to the Police immediately. Please email me the Police case number and the Police contact.
I have never given out any personal details to O2 and I will never purchase any product from O2. I expect you to remove my name and address and all related details from your database as this information has been obtained through fraud. Please can you confirm that no account has been set up by the fraudster in my name. I have contacted my banks to inform them of suspected fraud and they have been instructed not to honour any request for payment made by O2.
I look forward to receiving your letter of explanation, apology, compensation and confirmation that the O2 database no longer holds the data that the fraudster supplied.
I have not yet received confirmation that the matter has been handed over to the Police or received the letter that I requested.
A search of the Internet reveals that this fraudulent activity by O2 staff is not unknown and as a reasonable person might conclude in reviewing my case the O2 Fraud Investigation organisational unit appears to be either complicit in the fraud or negligent or incompetent. Why would I be asked to supply additional personal information? I presume sales people who set up accounts are rewarded. Clearly the sales person who set up this account committed fraud and should be handed over for investigation by the Police. How many other fraudulent accounts have been set up by this and other O2 sales staff? I refer you to the OFCOM (www.ofcom.org.uk) rulings on this and associated matters.
You must be as concerned as I am that a major company like O2 has such a poor reputation and has such flawed internal audit procedures such as has been shown in my case.
Notwithstanding the above, I require you to cease and desist your harrassment of me. I do not need to remind you that you and your fellow directors are liable in Law for the actions of your company. Company directors are obliged to report suspected crime to the Police.
I look forward to receiving a speedy reply in writing from you or a fellow director which I will take under advisement. Thank you.
Yours sincerely
Mrs ...
No reply was received. Five reminder bills were received each more threatening; 29 December 2011, 2 January 2012, 4 January 2012, 9 January 2012 and 10 January 2012.
On the 12 January I tried to email Ronan Dunne to ask about progress. After a lot of difficulty I found the Spanish website and web form. The Spanish email server reported a failure but eventually acknowledged. In the meantime I searched again and found a page on the O2 web site which contained the email address of the O2 Complaints Review Service complaintreviewservice@o2.com and of the Ombudsman Services: Communications enquiries@os-communications.org. The O2 web link to this page is http://service.o2.co.uk/IQ/SRVS/CGI-BIN/WEBCGI.EXE?New,Kb=Companion,question=ref(User):str(Mobile),CASE=13668.
The details of the O2 fraud were entered on the Action Fraud website. This letter of confirmation arrived from Action Fraud.
action fraud report and support Freepost Action fraud 10 January 2012 Dear Mrs ...Thank you for taking the time to complete the Action fraud report.
The Action fraud service is a new service for UK citizens. Its aim is to make the process of reporting fraud easier. By contacting us, and reporting a fraud, you are giving anti-fraud agencies vital information that they need to protect you and others from criminals. At the same time you could also help to bring the offenders to justice.
Action Fraud refers all cases of fraud to the National Fraud Intelligence Bureau. Although each report cannot be investigated individually, the information provided will help the police build up a picture of who is committing what type of fraud. This will help them to stop the fraudsters and keep other potential victims safe.
Thank you once again for taking the time to complete the form, and for assisting us in the fight against fraud crime. If you need to contact us again about this issue, you will need your Crime Reference Number which is ... and the security password which is ....
If you have any further information related to this crime, or if you know anyone who thinks they have been a victim of fraud who wants to report the incident please ask them to complete the online report at www.actionfraud.org.uk, or call the helpline on 0300 123 2040. We are open from Monday to Friday between 8am to 8pm, Saturday between 9am to 4pm and Sunday between 10am to 4pm.
Yours sincerely
Action Fraud telephone 0300 123 2040 textphone 0300 123 2050 www.actionfraud.org.ukPlease be aware it is a criminal offence under Section 5(2) of the Criminal Law Act 1967 to knowingly make a false report.
An email from Spain...even though the message was that the email server was broken. Incompetence after incompetence. My poor customer service from O2 suggests to me that the reason companies such as O2 spend so much on advertising to gain new customers is because they lose so many customers due to poor service. I can't believe that O2 would fraudulently set up fake customer accounts just to meet reported year end targets.
Dear Sir :
Thank you for visiting our website telefonica.com. Your consults is being
handled by the appropriate department and we hope to resolve the problem
as soon as possible.
Sincerely,
telefonica.es
________________________________________
De: ...
Enviado el: jueves, 12 de enero de 2012 12:14
Para: Servicio Web Telefonica
Asunto: telefonica.com
Thu Jan 12 12:14:07 CET 2012
Ref. Mensaje : REF.2
Nombre : ...
Apellidos : ...
Direccion : ...
Localidad : ...
C.P. : ...
Pais : UK
E-mail : ...
Telefono : n/a
Idioma : eng
Comentarios:
------------
Further to the letter dated 4 January 2012 to Mr Ronan Dunne, CEO Telephonica O2
from my wife, regarding the fraudulent activities of O2, I note that no letter
addressing the points has yet been received. I have reported the fraud to Action
Fraud (www.actionfraud.org.uk). The crime reference number (CRN) is ...
Please confirm that you have received this letter and are taking action.
____________
espero respuesta.
- -
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EXCLUSIVAMENTE a los destinatarios especificados. La información contenida puede ser
CONFIDENCIAL y/o estar LEGALMENTE PROTEGIDA y no necesariamente refleja la opinión
de ATENTO. Si usted recibe este mensaje por ERROR, por favor comuníqueselo
inmediatamente al remitente y ELIMÍNELO ya que usted NO ESTA AUTORIZADO al uso,
revelación, distribución, impresión o copia de toda o alguna parte de la información
contenida. Gracias.
This e-mail message and any attached files are intended SOLELY for the addressee/s
identified herein. It may contain CONFIDENTIAL and/or LEGALLY PRIVILEGED information
and may not necessarily represent the opinion of ATENTO. If you receive this message
in ERROR, please immediately notify the sender and DELETE it since you ARE NOT AUTHORIZED
to use, disclose, distribute, print or copy all or part of the contained information.
Thank you.
- -
Telephónica and O2 do not provide quality customer service.
From: ...
To: complaintreviewservice@o2.com
Subject: Complaint made 30 November 2011
Date: 12 January 2012 11:52
Dear Sir,
My wife, Mrs ... contacted O2 on the 30 November 2011:-
======
Today 30 November 2011 I signed for a parcel delivered by Yodel.
It contained an Iphone serial no ... and monthly pay sim serial no ... mobile no ....
The order addressed to me included the order ref: ... despatch date 29/11/2011.
I did NOT place this order.
I refer you to the Sale of Goods Act and the Distance Selling Regulations.
I am treating the parcel as "unsolicited goods".
I am entitled to treat it as an unconditional gift and to do with as I choose.
I am not required to keep the parcel but I will for ten workings days from the
date of this email. This gives you time to retrieve the parcel.
I re-emphasise that I have not placed this order and have certainly not authorised
payment. If a payment is deducted from any of my bank accounts in relation to this
order then this is fraud.
I will copy this letter to Trading Standards and let them consider what action is
to be taken. I would like you to write to me with an apology and compensation and
then remove all my personal information from your database. In good time I will
raise the matter with the Information Commissioner's Office to ensure that all my
personal data has been removed.
=====
The email correspondence that followed is as attached.
In addition to the attached, my wife has received three bills dated 29 December 2011,
2 January 2012 and 4 January 2012. These bills I regard as fraudulently attempting
to extract money by extortion through threats. O2 has agreed on the 3 December 2012
that fraud has taken place and still threatens to inform Credit Reference Agencies,
DebtCollection Agencies and court proceedings.
My wife wrote to the CEO Telephónica O2 see attached. No reply has been received.
Today I tried to contact Telephónic O2 through
http://www.telefonica.com/en/contact_us/otros.shtml
but as might be expected the server is broken.
http://195.53.169.56/cgi-bin/telefonica/mail_telefonica_idiomas.cgi
./mail_telefonica_idiomas.cgi[116]: cuantos_english.txt: cannot create
Here is the message that I tried to email.
Further to the letter dated 4 January 2012 to Mr Ronan Dunne, CEO
Telephónica O2 from my wife, regarding the fraudulent activities of O2,
I note that no letter addressing the points has yet been received.
I have reported the fraud to Action Fraud (www.actionfraud.org.uk).
The crime reference number (CRN) is ....
Please confirm that you have received this letter and are taking action.
I look to you to take immediate action.
You should email me and confirm in writing by return.
Yours faithfully
The automated email acknowledgement arrived.
From: "Complaint Review Service (UK)" (ComplaintReviewService@O2.COM)
To: ...
Subject: Auto Response
Date: 12 January 2012 11:52
Thanks for your email. We'll get in touch to discuss it with you as quickly as we can.
Kind regards
Complaint Review Service
This electronic message contains information from Telefónica UK or Telefónica Europe
which may be privileged or confidential. The information is intended to be for the use
of the individual(s) or entity named above. If you are not the intended recipient be
aware that any disclosure, copying distribution or use of the contents of this
information is prohibited. If you have received this electronic message in error,
please notify us by telephone or email.
Switchboard: +44 (0)113 272 2000
Email: feedback@o2.com
Telefónica UK Limited 260 Bath Road, Slough, Berkshire SL1 4DX Registered in England
and Wales: 1743099. VAT number: GB 778 6037 85
Telefónica Europe plc 260 Bath Road, Slough, Berkshire SL1 4DX Registered in England
and Wales: 05310128. VAT number: GB 778 6037 85
This call was recorded on my telephone answer machine. The actual recording has been retained.
"Cath" from O2 Fraud and Security Team confirmed O2 has closed two accounts
for fraud and will confirm in writing.
Executive Relations Suite W Arlington Business Centre Millshaw Park Lane Leeds LS11 0NE Phone: 0845 330 0683 13 January 2012 Email: jonathan.moorel@o2.com Our reference: ... Mobile account numbers: ... & ... Dear Mrs ...Thanks for your letter dated 4 January 2012 to Ronan Dunne, who's asked me to get back to you.
I'm sorry we've sent you reminder letters and bills for a mobile account you've no knowledge of. I can understand how worrying this must have been.
Our fraud team have confirmed your name and address details have been used to open two mobile accounts with us. They've now closed these accounts down as fraud and this will not affect you or your credit rating.
The accounts were opened online and the information provided by the fraudster was enough to pass the credit check. Within the credit check process we evaluate all of the information given and if it's sufficient to pass, then they will be accepted.
We're committed to preventing fraud from happening and we constantly review our procedures and level of security. However, we're unable to stop this from happening completely as fraudsters are very good at finding new ways to get applications accepted. It's sometimes not possible to identify fraud until it's too late. I'd also like to assure you that no member of 02 staff will have taken out these contracts.
As this type of fraud is identity theft, then we don't have an obligation to report this to the police as we don't know who the fraudster is. There is nothing stopping you from speaking to them about this. If further information is found about the fraudster then we will at this point pass it over to the police, as it may lead to a conviction.
I do appreciate how frustrating this must be, however we won't be offering you any compensation as we're also a victim of the fraudster in cases like this.
I hope this helps and explains things. If you've any further questions, please get in touch.
Yours sincerely
Jonathan Moore, Executive Relations
From: ... To: jonathan.moore1@o2.com Cc: complaintreviewservice@o2.com Subject: O2 fraud reference ... Date: 15 January 2012 12:40To Mr J Moore.
Please forward a copy to Mr R Dunne, CEO Telphonica O2.
Dear Sir,
WITHOUT PREJUDICE
Your reference: ...
Thank you for your letter dated 13 January 2012. I am pleased to note that at long last, despite a letter written to Mr R Dunne, CEO Telephonica O2, O2 have finally acknowledged in writing that a fraud has taken place.
I am concerned that without an investigation by the Police neither O2 nor I are in a position to know whether the fraud is an identity fraud, or a fraud carried out by an O2 employee or a corporate fraud committed by O2. I have provided O2 with the crime reference number (CRM). This CRM should be provided to the Police. The Police will provide their reference identifier. O2 should provide me with the Police reference identifier. I will take this as evidence that O2 is committed to preventing fraud.
I am an expert in IT security. For many years I worked at a high level in a UK major ... company. I introduced the Internet to this company. I am mystified at how fraudulent accounts can be opened online. It suggests incompetence by O2 in that the hierarchy of risks is not being addressed.
All visitors to any website automatically provides an originating IP address. All companies should log these web "activity" records. If they do not log these records it could be argued that the company is negligent under the Companies Act in particular failure to keep accurate records. During validation of any web form this originating IP address is the most important element to be validated as clearly if the source is an web service provider in the UK then the risk is much less than if the source is a web service provider located in the wider EU, outside the EU or worse if the country of origin could not be determined. As an analogy, in a phone shop there is a much higher risk from someone entering the shop wearing a mask and wielding a cricket bat then someone in conventional apparel.
Assuming UK products are being purchased, if the originating IP address is from one of the UK major internet providers then the individual who completed the form can be easily be identified by the Police. Thus the risk is low and the account can be set up immediately. If the originating IP address was not from a UK major, or from the EU or elsewhere a different procedures can be used. The simplest procedure to handle increased risk is to ask the purchaser to print the completed form, sign it and send it to O2. Dependent on the assessed risk, copies of a utility bill for the current month and for a month a year earlier might be requested. This may be sufficient to allow the account to be set up. For higher risks a final letter sent to the account address asking for final confirmation would reduce the risks to negligible levels.
Payment cards should be subject to the same validation as particular groups of card numbers are issued in the UK. UK payment cards are less risky than overseas ones. O2 should carry out this sort of validation prior to the validation carried out by the issuing bank. My experience of issuing banks is that they will only provide valid or not information. They do not provide information where the card was issued.
Above I have outlined some risk assessment procedures that reputable companies use to deal with millions of customers. These companies have sound reputations and who have operated profitably for over half a century with negligible levels of fraud.
I do not think it is credible that O2 are committed to preventing fraud. I quote from a press article dated 28 February 2008 "O2 sets debt collector on woman over three unwanted accounts":- ..the unfortunate recipient of an unwanted Sony Ericsson mobile phone last November has spent many hours in the last four months repeatedly calling O2 and the debt collection agency to get O2 off her back. But despite assurances from O2's 'fraud office'... despite assurance that the matter is now settled, she received a demand from O2's debt collector, Moorcroft Data Recovery...threatening a 'home visit'.
Companies reflect the qualities or lack thereof of their leaders. The O2 CEO failed to acknowledge in a timely manner my wife's letter. O2 and the O2 'fraud office" has failed and continues to fail to take appropriate action. This suggests O2 has serious problems in management, control, quality, audit and control.
I repeat my request for compensation. This compensation is for the failure by O2 to take timely and appropriate action. O2 should note that the O2 phone handling system, another speciality of mine, is not usable for those without an O2 account. Compensation should be paid for the numerous emails, including this one, the letters from O2 and the letter from my wife to O2 which needed to be progressed chased by yet another email and the failure by the Telephonica email server. O2 were notified of the fraud on the 30 November 2011. O2 failed to take action on this date and subsequently.
As proof of O2's good faith, I feel it is reasonable to ask O2 to undertake and pay for credit checks with all the credit reference agencies that O2 use and provide the results to my wife. My wife and I have and always have had impeccable credit references. I note your assurance but as the record shows that O2 assurance even from the O2 'fraud office' has previously proved worthless. This reasonable action would help to settle my disquiet.
Finally I would like the O2 CEO to write a personal note of acknowledgement that he is aware of this case and will take all necessary steps to address the glaring failings of O2. I would be willing to discuss with O2 internal and/or external auditors detailed steps that can be taken.
It seems to me that if I do not receive a timely acceptable response to my reasonable requests then the matter should be referred to the Ombudsman, OFCOM and, if necessary, the Parliamentary Select Committee concerned with oversight of the Telecommunications Act.
Yours faithfully,
This confirmed the phone call from "Cath".
17 January 2012
Dear Mrs ...
Re: O2 Account - ... / ...
We can now confirm that your name and address has been used fraudulently, by parties unknown, to obtain goods and services from O2 (UK).
We have therefore now closed the account(s) and disassociated you from it. A record of the account will be held for our own purposes, to help us combat fraud. We have also notified the credit reference agencies and requested that they remove any related information.
If you have been the victim of identity fraud, you may be concerned about further risk. For more information about identity and impersonation fraud you can contact Experian on 0844 481 1441. Experian are the UK's largest credit reference agency, the Experlan fraud helpline will be able to provide useful advice on how to protect your identity from further impersonation attempts and the option to choose ongoing protection if you think you need it.
We trust this meets your requirements, however, should you have any further queries please do not hesitate to contact us on the number below bemeen 8.30am and 6.OOpm, Monday to Friday.
Yours sincerely O2 Fraud Team
For and on behalf of Telefonica O2 (UK) Limited
Direct Line: 0844 847 1420
From: "Moore Jonathan (UK)" (Jonathan.moore1@O2.Com) To: ... Subject: O2 REF: ... Date: 23 January 2012 09:43Hi ...
Thanks for your email on 15 January 2012.
We're sorry your wife's personal details were used to fraudulently obtain services from O2. For security reasons we do not discuss the details of our fraud prevention strategies, but I can assure you we do take this very seriously and we do employ a risk based screening approach to minimise fraudulent orders online and elsewhere. This is balanced against the need for genuine customers to be able to do business with us as conveniently as possible. Therefore unfortunately some fraudulent orders do get through this screening process, and when an innocent parties personal details have been used by criminals in this way it is our priority to ensure that is put right as quickly as possible.
The accounts set up with your wife's details have been disconnected and her personal details disassociated from them. We take steps to ensure it results in no adverse credit history and no debt collection action is pursued. A letter has been sent to your wife from our fraud team to explain this.
I'm unable to provide you with a copy of your wife's credit file as she'll have to request this directly with the credit reference agencies. It costs £2 to obtain a copy of your credit file from Equifax and this can be done online at www.equifax.co.uk.
We work closely and actively with the police and provide them with information and assistance to target organised fraudsters and bring successful prosecutions. However, not every case of ID theft is reported to them.
We don't offer compensation, but to say sorry and also to cover the cost of obtaining a copy of your credit file, I've sent a cheque for £50 to your wife. She'll receive this within 14 days.
I hope this helps. If you've any further questions, please get in touch.
Kind regards
Jonathan Moore | Telefónica UK Limited, Executive Relations T 0845 330 0683
This electronic message ...[Ed. blah blah blah as above]
From: ... To: enquiries@os-communications.org CC: Jonathan.moore1@O2.Com Subject: O2 ref ... - Complaint Date: 31 January 2012 19:57 Dear Sir,On behalf of my wife Mrs ... and myself, I would like you to review the actions of Telephonica O2 in respect of O2 complaint reference 2469821. I attach all relevant correspondence as a zip file. Please let me know if you require this file expanded. If necessary I can desensitise and publish on the web. The files include emails, letters and images of bills and letters. I would like you to consider the following:-
1. I have referred the fraud to Action Fraud and received a crime reference number. I have repeatedly asked O2 to refer the matter to the Police and provide me with a Police incident reference. O2 have refused.
2. O2 by not referring fraud to the Police is willfully negligent, is not committed to reducing the risk of fraud see my email dated 15 January and is clearly keen to hide the extent of fraud. I would like you to insist this fraud is reported to the Police by O2 and a Police case number sent to me.
3. O2 benefits by this fraud as this type of fraud boosts the number of customers at the end of the December quarter. O2 seems to have a track record. The following is from December 2008. "http://www.theinquirer.net/inquirer/news/1024900/o2-sets-debt-collectors-woman-unwanted-accounts"
4. O2's telecommunications licence requires O2 to undertake certain actions, meet certain standards and provide reports to the relevant Secretary of State. I believe my wife's case and others suggests that O2 is not fit to hold such a licence. I would like you to consider this matter and for you to report to the Parliamentary Select Committee with oversight of the Telecommunications and related Statutes if in your opinion O2 is in breach or if regulatory powers are insufficient.
5. I ask you to review the fraudulent bills sent by O2 to my wife on 29 Dec, 2 Jan, 4 Jan, 9 Jan and 10 Jan. Remember O2 sent this out just under a month after O2 agreed fraud had taken place. Remember O2 did defame by libel my wife by an adverse reference to credit reference agencies after O2 agree that a fraud had taken place. Please note the dates of public holidays and the time between follow up. Please note that O2 know that this is a time when many people will be away from home. Given the small sum involved how can this be anything other than unlawful harassment. Contrast this with the 14 days that O2 say they need to write a cheque in their email from Mr J Moore dated 23 January. It is the 31 January and the cheque has still not arrived.
6. I ask you to consider the various responses by O2 in respect of compensation. O2 still refuses to consider compensation. The O2 email dated 23 January states "We don't offer compensation". This must make O2 in breach of its licence. I would like to receive compensation at a rate that is consistent with the amount that the Ombudsman considers appropriate. I would still like to receive a personal letter from the O2 CEO that he acknowledges the substantive matters of this case. I do not think this is unreasonable given the malfeasance of the O2 Fraud Team. I would like to be assured by the O2 CEO that disciplinary action has been taken against those responsible including management and the audit teams who allowed such gross failings to take place.
7. I would like you to consider the O2 Fraud Team and how they handled this case. Why did they require at the start, against IT best security practice, more personal information? Why in the letter dated 17 January is there an illegible signature and no name? Why do the O2 Fraud Team refuse to provide their names even after they have agreed that a fraud has taken place? Having worked for many years in a senior position in a major utility company, I can understand the need for front line customer service staff to protect their names but not for line managers or specialist back office teams. Is the O2 Fraud Team complicit in fraud? Why is O2 management so reticent?
8. I would like you to consider the O2 phone system and the impossibility of contacting someone if an account number is not available. Clearly as an incompetent phone company with such a poor reputation the long waits are expected but having all routes return to "enter your account number" says much about O2 and its call routing system. Please note action seemed only to be taken after emails to the Telephonica email server which reported itself as broken but nevertheless appears to have let the email through. With difficulty I found, from someone else who has had problems with O2, the following link: "http://service.o2.co.uk/IQ/SRVS/CGI-BIN/WEBCGI.EXE?New,Kb=Companion,question=ref(User):str(Mobile),CASE=13668". Why is O2 senior management so reticent in providing access to such useful information? Why hide this information under "support"?
9. I would like O2 to provide me with copies of all the requests made by O2 to all the credit reference agencies they notified to confirm that all related information has been removed ( refer to the letter dated 17 January from the O2 Fraud Team which did not include the name of the person who signed the letter). This will provide me with independent proof should the matter need to be put before the courts.
I look forward to hearing from you.
Thank you.
Yours faithfully
Mr ... on behalf of my wife Mrs ... and myself.
The attached zip file was around 3.5 MB in size. As discovered later this was too large for the Ombudsman but was received by O2. It was my mistake to attach such a large file. This prompted me to publish extracts of all relevant correspondence on this website.
The "we don't offer compensation" cheque from O2. A cheque of £50 GBP was received.
Telefonica
Suite K
Leeds
LS11 0NE
Telephone
08705860860
International
30/01/2012
Payee Id ...
Cheque No ...
Total Payment £50.00
Dear Sir/Madam
We have attached your refund cheque as promised.
If you have any questions, call 0870 444 3333
(or 0870 444 3027 if youÂ're a business customer), and
quote the payee ID number above.
YOURS FAITHFULLY
TELEFONICA UK
Please note the spelling of "you're" with the capital A circumflex. It does not give confidence that Telefonica / O2 is a company interested in quality.
An email to progress check with a copy of the letter above but no attachments.
From: ... To: enquiries@os-communications.org CC: Jonathan.moore1@O2.Com Subject: Re: O2 ref ... - Complaint Date: 08 February 2012 16:55Dear Sir
I have not yet received a response to my complaint as below. I presume that there was a problem processing the large attached file. I have now published all relevant correspondence (desensitised) on my website http://www.whywaitforever.com/letters/o2fraud.html. Please can you acknowledge that you have received this email and provide me with a case reference.
Thank you.
Acknowledgement of receipt.
From: OS: Communications (enquiries@os-communications.org) To: ... Subject: Auto-Reply Date: 08 February 2012 16:57We are currently handling a high volume of email correspondence. We will do all we can to answer your enquiry within 10 working days.
To resolve a complaint with a company we recommend that you follow its Complaints Code of Practice. If you ask, it will supply you with a copy of its up to date version. This information is also usually on its website.
We can only help if you have raised a formal complaint with a participating company and completed its complaints procedure. If you have not done this, we will refer you back to the company to do so.
If you have an on-going case with us, we will send your email to the person dealing with your case.
As part of our ongoing effort to improve our service a research company may contact you and ask you to participate in service quality survey.
I don't want to be contacted about the research, who should I tell about it?
When you have received our response it will include a six digit reference number. To opt out please send us an email with your reference number, name and postcode to research@ombudsman-services.org adding opt out to the subject line.
As some of our responses may have multiple attachments, this may trigger your email provider's Junk Mail settings. We recommend that you check these settings and add our email address to your "Safe senders" list to ensure you receive all communications from us.
Our response will be in PDF format. You will need version 6 of "Acrobat Reader" to view this reply. For further information about how to open PDF Files go to http://www.adobe.com
From: Moore Jonathan (UK) (Jonathan.moore1@O2.Com) To: ... Subject: RE: O2 ref ... - Complaint Date: 08 February 2012 17:00Hi ...
I've not responded to the original email as you had only copied me in and it was sent to the Ombudsman.
Kind regards
Jonathan Moore | Telefónica UK Limited, Executive Relations, T 0845 330 0683
These are the fraudulent bills sent a month after O2 had been informed a fraud had taken place.
Reminder Account name ... Account number ... Bill number ... Date 29 Dec 11 Immediate payment of £43.70 required Notice of service restrictions Dear Mrs ...We've stopped you making calls and sending texts on your mobile
We've called and texted you about the money you owe on your account. We still haven't heard from you, so we've had to stop you making any more calls or sending any texts.
What you need to do
Call us at any time on 0844 809 0202 to pay your bill. Or you can always pay online www.o2.co.uk/myo2.
If we don't hear from you in the next seven days, we'll have to block your phone. This means you won't be able to make or receive any calls or texts But we will still charge you for the line rental on the rest of your contract with us.
Having problems? We can help
If you can't clear your bill at the moment, it's important you get in touch anyway. Call us on 0800 902 0217 and we'll talk about your options We can help you sort this out.
If you've paid the money in the past few days, just ignore this letter.
Regards
02 Customer Service
---------------- Payment Slip ...
Reminder Account name ... Account number ... Bill number ... Date 2 Jan 12 Immediate payment of £45.15 required Notice of service restrictions Dear Mrs ...We've stopped you making calls and sending texts on your mobile
We've called and texted you about the money you owe on your account. We still haven't heard from you, so we've had to stop you making any more calls or sending any texts.
What you need to do
Call us at any time on 0844 809 0202 to pay your bill. Or you can always pay online www.o2.co.uk/myo2.
If we don't hear from you in the next seven days, we'll have to block your phone. This means you won't be able to make or receive any calls or texts. But we will still charge you for the line rental on the rest of your contract with us.
Having problems? We can help
If you can't clear your bill at the moment, it's important you get in touch anyway. Call us on 0800 902 0217 and we'll talk about your options. We can help you sort this out.
If you've paid the money in the past few days, just ignore this letter.
Regards
02 Customer Service
---------------- Payment Slip ...
Reminder Account name ... Account number ... Bill number ... Date 4 Jan 12 Immediate payment of £43.70 required Notice of Full Service Restriction Dear Mrs ...We've stopped you from making or taking any more calls and texts
We've called and texted you about the £43.70 you owe on your account. Because we haven't heard from you, we've had to block your phone. This means you can't make or get any calls and texts on your mobile.
What you need to do
Call us at any time on 0844 809 0202 to pay your bill. Or you can always pay online www.o2.co.uk/myo2.
If we don't hear from you in the next five days, we will have to disconnect your phone. If we do this we will
charge you for the line rental on the rest of your contract (on top of the money you already owe us)
charge you if you want to reconnect (reconnection might not be possible if we have had to reconnect you before)
Inform the Credit Reference Agencies about the overdue amount. This may affect your credit rating
Pass your account to a Debt Collection Agency and/or a Debt Purchasing Company. They will contact you about the money you owe, which will also include a fee, and might mean court proceedings.
Having problems? We can help
If you can't clear your bill at the moment, it's important you get in touch anyway. Call us on 0800 902 0217 and we'll talk about your options. We can help you sort this out.
If you've paid the money in the past few days, just ignore this letter.
Regards
02 Customer Service
---------------- Payment Slip ...
Reminder Account name ... Account number ... Bill number ... Date 9 Jan 12 Immediate payment of £45.15 required Notice of Full Service Restriction Dear Mrs ...We've stopped you from making or taking any more calls and texts
We've called and texted you about the £45.15 you owe on your account. Because we haven't heard from you, we've had to block your phone. This means you can't make or get any calls and texts on your mobile.
What you need to do
Call us at any time on 0844 809 0202 to pay your bill. Or you can always pay online www.o2.co.uk/myo2.
If we don't hear from you in the next five days, we will have to disconnect your phone. If we do this we will
charge you for the line rental on the rest of your contract (on top of the money you already owe us)
charge you if you want to reconnect (reconnection might not be possible if we have had to reconnect you before)
Inform the Credit Reference Agencies about the overdue amount. This may affect your credit rating
Pass your account to a Debt Collection Agency and/or a Debt Purchasing Company. They will contact you about the money you owe, which will also include a fee, and might mean court proceedings.
Having problems? We can help
If you can't clear your bill at the moment, it's important you get in touch anyway. Call us on 0800 902 0217 and we'll talk about your options. We can help you sort this out.
If you've paid the money in the past few days, just ignore this letter.
Regards
02 Customer Service
---------------- Payment Slip ...
NOTICE OF DISCONNECTION Account name ... Account number ... Bill number ... Date 10 Jan 12 Immediate payment of £43.70 required Dear Mrs ...We've disconnected your phone
We've called and texted you about the money you owe on your account but you still haven't paid your bill. So we've disconnected your phone.
We'll send you a final bill in the next six weeks. This will cover the money you owe us, and might also include the line rental for the remainder of your contract with us.
What you need to do
Call us at any time on 0800 588 4213 straight away. Once you've paid the money you owe, we might be able to reconnect you. But we'll have to charge you for it.
If we don't settle your bill, we will have to:
Inform the Credit Reference Agencies about the overdue amount. This may affect your credit rating
Pass your account to a Debt Collection Agency and/or a Debt Purchasing Company. They will contact you about the money you owe, which will also include a fee, and might mean court proceedings.
Having problems? We can help
If you can't clear your bill at the moment, it's important you get in touch. It's really not too late to sort this out please call us on the number above and we'll talk about your options. We want to try and help you.
If you've paid the money in the past few days, just ignore this letter.
Regards
02 Customer Service
---------------- Payment Slip ...