topic Re: Fraud Alert! in Discussions & Feedback

Fraud Alert!

Olomola — Fri, 23 Sep 2022 13:32:49 GMT

This message is to send an alert and awareness to all O2 subscribers and phone Owners and Users. As with most businesses and public resources, there is now a plethora of fraudsters and scammers operating through O2. O2 is well aware of this issue but, as a public facing company, will do nothing to help victims of O2 scam and fraud.

in all my 40 years of owning mobile phones from many phone companies and third parties, for the first time, i had fraudsters and scammers plaguing my O2 phone most of yesterday 22/09/2022. I ran to O2 for help, and received none. Embarrassingly, the scammers were using O2 numbers and customer services techniques to scam me. O2 customer services asked me the same questions in exactly the same way the scammers asked me. It got so confusing that I could not tell one from the other. I had to come to the unswerving conclusion that perhaps in a bid to scale up her business, O2 is working with scammers and fraudsters.

The following are phone numbers you should be wary of: 01526 210024, 0203 840 4722, 2023 287 6812, 0800 840 0202. The scammers called my phone asking me my security questions, and when i gave a false answer, they corrected me by giving me the correct answer. This is an answer only O2 should have but the scammers also had it. There were other information which should have been exlusive to O2 only, but the scammers had it also. In addition to the phne numbers which the scammers used on me, they had names like "Peter", "Smith", "Ben", "Alex". Common with them is the accent which sounded very much of "Indian" origin. One of the phone calls was from Lincoln, London and others were from eslewhere.

Personally, I strongly believe there is an official O2 involvement in all these scamming and fraudulent activities. I hope someone out there can and would call O2 out for this as O2 appears unfazed about it.

Re: Fraud Alert!

Bambino — Fri, 23 Sep 2022 14:19:44 GMT

@Olomola Report it to the police: https://www.actionfraud.police.uk/

Your accusation is absurd and racist.

Re: Fraud Alert!

Olomola — Fri, 23 Sep 2022 14:54:50 GMT

Actually Bambino, nothing I have written is absurd, nor Racist or an accusation. If you have carefully read my contributions, you will realise that I wrote in first stand as someone who personally experienced all that I had written. Therefore, it is not false and not accusatory. Furthermore, it is not racist nor absurd because I spoke with my antagonist yesterday and several times today (already). I don’t know which part of India they might have come from, but as someone who has many Indian friends and grew up with Indian neighbours, I am better placed to recognise Indian accent.
You may rightfully feel offended, but this does not remove the truth or facts from my experience and the race of those who antagonise me in this fraud and scam issue. If they were Nigerians, I would rightly say do. If they were Americans, I would also state that. As it is, individuals of Indian origin have unsuccessfully tried to fraud and scam me using O2 as a platform to do so.
This is the undeniable truth and facts. Shortly before I received your comments, same individuals tried contacting me again using the name “Peter Smith” but called from 01526 210023 (which is different from 01526 210024 which I had blocked earlier this morning).
The whole world is full of bad people and being bad is not exclusive to just one nation /nationality or geographical location only. The entire world is full of bad people. You would be naive to think it is “racist” and “absurd” to speak the truth in the face of wholesome lies and deceit, evil and crime.

Re: Fraud Alert!

Bambino — Fri, 23 Sep 2022 15:24:18 GMT

@Olomola I'm not sure why I should even dignify your response with an answer, but I will. I'd like you to tell me what difference the race of the person trying to scam you makes? A scam is a scam, and the nationality of of the person making the call has nothing to do with it. It's a common criminal act. It happens all the time. Reading your lengthy posts, you'd think that you were the only person who has ever fallen for this. Do you honestly think that O2 is officially involved in scamming customers? That's a serious accusation and incredibly ridiculous. This happens on a daily basis to hundreds, maybe even thousands of people on every network. Are Vodafone, EE, and Three also officially involved in scamming their customers? If you think so, then maybe you should get a solicitor and take them all to court. I'm sure you'd succeed.

Re: Fraud Alert!

Olomola — Fri, 23 Sep 2022 15:37:20 GMT

Thanks for your informed narrative and insightful feedback and conclusion. I initially wrote that I had 40 years of experience owning phones from different suppliers and never a single experience of scam or fraud. This is apparently my first and hopefully my only experience. I understand that you may not appreciate this fact and you appear to be bent out of shape by my lengthy reactions and comments regarding my first experience. Unless you are the owner or the CEO of O2, I honestly don’t see how my comments could adversely affect you or cause your discomfort. But unless, you have a personal stake in the scamming and fraudulent practices, your response should not be in praising it or comparing it across the board or championing it as a norm. It is a dastardly shameful practice regardless of which phone company or race or persons involved in it. It is an human act which I believe this community should join hands together and help O2 stamp out anyway it can. We should not praise it or champion it.
I don’t know who you are, but I strongly feel you might benefit from applying some morals into business practices that affects other people. Not all of us have criminality woven into our personality. Being scammed and frauded may be okay and acceptable to you, but from what I’ve read in this forum, it is not acceptable by many of us and we are all commenting on the fact.

Re: Fraud Alert!

jonsie — Fri, 23 Sep 2022 15:52:38 GMT

It's well documented on here that 'O2 Partners' have access to all personal data and that these so called 'trusted' people sell on information to anyone without scruples who will try and scam you

To be fair, most of the time, these scammers are located in overseas call centres and scammers don't always have English as their native language...this is a fact and not racist at all

The fact that O2 use overseas call centres as a first point of contact doesn't help when trying to decide if a call or text is genuinely from O2

I can only reiterate the advice that we continually spout on here and that is to never respond to a text or cold call from anyone preporting to represent O2...they very, very rarely do and if something sounds too good to be true then it most certainly is.

In the past week, I have had texts about DPW energy payments, suspension of Apple Pay (not had an iphone since 2010) , DPD failed delivery, TV Licensing...etc, ad nadeum!

Just glad that I'm not young and easily gullible...

Re: Fraud Alert!

Bambino — Fri, 23 Sep 2022 16:06:40 GMT

@Olomola I'd like you to point out where I praised or championed anyone who is responsible for perpetrating scam calls. If you look at my signature, you'll see that I don't work for O2. I'm a customer and have been a member of this community for twelve and a half years and have been a customer since it was called BT Cellnet. If you've owned phones for 40 years, that's a pretty good trick since the first mobiles weren't available generally until 1983.

I've seen hundreds of posts from people who have been scammed, and in many of those posts I've offered methods of reporting the calls or texts. I've called you out on it because you have made absurd accusations and racist comments. If O2 had been officially involved in sanctioning scam calls, they would have been investigated and found out long ago. Go get a solicitor and prove it, if you think it's true. Whatever the race of the person who made those calls to you is immaterial, but you chose to point out what race you think they may be. THAT IS RACIST. GET IT?

I'm done now. I will not respond again.

Re: Fraud Alert!

Olomola — Fri, 23 Sep 2022 16:14:43 GMT

Thank you bambino. I am also a customer and have rights which are fundamentally vital. My fundamental human rights allow me to speak or write the truth as I see or experienced it. I refuse to cower from your onslaught of “rightness” feeling over my hurting experiences which is horrible and personal to me. This is also the last time I will respond to your comments. The usage of phones is not limited to digital phones alone, so while you refer to 1983, I refer to further back, and to analog phones as included in trans business and personal communication techniques and technology.

Re: Fraud Alert!

Olomola — Fri, 23 Sep 2022 16:26:05 GMT

Thank you Jonsie. Thank you so very much for your thoughtful, kind, and honest yet very sincere comments and response. I thank you again Jonsie. Your response should be the golden standard for all who have more than the initial level. I want to tell you jonsie, that, your comments bring calm into my turmoil and troubled mind over this first experience of fraud and scam. I thank you again for your mature and intelligent comments.

Re: Fraud Alert!

jonsie — Fri, 23 Sep 2022 16:30:10 GMT

Most welcome @Olomola , having worked for O2 back in the day I know just how difficult it is to spot a fraud nowadays

We all have to be vigilant I'm afraid

Re: Fraud Alert!

Arasheed — Sat, 24 Sep 2022 06:20:08 GMT

I wouldn't say that there is o2 involvement but they instead got your details via their own methods I have received scam calls similar to what you have submitted but instead from my bank asking me where I live after giving me my own postcode. But I don't see why o2 won't help you at all. Call 202 with your o2 phone or reach then using social media links

Re: Fraud Alert!

Cleoriff — Sat, 24 Sep 2022 08:11:49 GMT

@Olomola

Just some practical advice from O2.

It's a well known scam.

Block the number and report it free to 7726.

DO NOT follow any links or enter any information.

O2 advice here https://www.o2.co.uk/help/safety-and-security/phishing-and-smishing

https://www.actionfraud.police.uk/

https://community.o2.co.uk/t5/Welcome-News/Phishing-Smishing-amp-Scams-Latest-info-amp-advice/m-p/1313343

How to block a number:

https://www.samsung.com/us/support/answer/ANS00062352/

https://support.apple.com/en-us/HT201229

Re: Fraud Alert!

Olomola — Sat, 24 Sep 2022 08:30:33 GMT

@Arasheed

Thanks Arasheed. One big problem this odious event revealed to me is my inability to recognise phone scam of this day and age straight away. I often prided myself as being above falling for scams. It is truly a troubling thing to realise that I am not infallible. But, going forward, I have noted all the good suggestions and advice that I received, and would be more careful henceforth. However, I disagree that mentioning the identity or race of my scammers is racist. If we all subscribe to such views, no one on earth will be blameless. Throughout the night, I filled in opinion polls which asked me for my identity and ethnic group. Should that be viewed as racism now? We are who we are regardless of small minded people’s opinion or views. I am a Nigerian. For many years, it was reported that Nigerians were fraudulent. No one baited an eye even though it was not a true statement. The statement, although is false, does not represent the totality of all Nigerians. There are Nigerians working in financial institutions, government agencies etc. they are not fraudulent. Categorising identity of the people who scammed me as racist is very offensive and I sincerely hope someone would look into why the responder made such a statement.
nonetheless, thanks for your comments @Arasheed.

Re: Fraud Alert!

Olomola — Sat, 24 Sep 2022 08:36:52 GMT

@Cleoriff

My thanks. I blocked their number (s), and they keep calling with different numbers. Funny, I was thrown by the similarity of their call procedures with what I was used to coming from O2. The problem I have to deal with now is twofold. First, identifying genuine callers and secondly, loss of potential genuine incentives from genuine callers.
Nonetheless, I am sincerely grateful for your comments.

Re: Fraud Alert!

Arasheed — Sat, 24 Sep 2022 08:40:03 GMT

I understand and I as well don't see how it could be racist mentioning someone's race especially in an informative paragraph but the best course of action is to move on with this part of the problem and solve the current problem you are facing with the spam calls.

Re: Fraud Alert!

Cleoriff — Sat, 24 Sep 2022 09:24:41 GMT

@Olomola

Now this is a real nuisance but you could think of a change of number. You are allowed one free of charge.

then go into MyO2 http://www.o2.co.uk/myo2

and find the section titled MORE, click on that and then CONTACT PREFERENCES

You will receive a text to make sure its you, then you will get access to this:

Make sure you untick all the boxes you have no interest in. With a change of number, you will cut down on a lot of spam.

Just a suggestion.

Re: Fraud Alert!

abandit — Tue, 04 Oct 2022 09:17:28 GMT

Having the same issue, o2 dont care thier fraud team dont care , they have turned into a scam . and now wont even let me have my PAK code, i have 2 direct debits set up this morning that are nothing to do with me , i have alerted my bank of this fraud

Re: Fraud Alert!

jonsie — Tue, 04 Oct 2022 22:18:04 GMT

Great username

Re: Fraud Alert!

Poppysmum — Sat, 08 Oct 2022 12:44:05 GMT

I work in a school and you got to be extra careful nowadays what is classified as this and that. Its pathetic in my eyes some of the things that are not allowed to be said that we wouldnt blink an eye to it years ago . Wont mention them on here. But i will say i also went through a spate spam texts , calls and messages They stopped when i played along with one and told them to expect a call from the police lol,

Re: Fraud Alert!

Climbcrazy50 — Mon, 04 Mar 2024 17:50:08 GMT

You are right I rang 202, the lady kept putting me on hold then we got cut off , one of your numbers above called me back same lady this time asking all sorts including my bank details! Did not sound English. I rang back 202 next lady very professional changed my contract without my bank details.