Click and collect – how rigorous are ID checks? Victim of ID fraud needs some answers

[Anonymous]

Hello,

I recently found out that I have been the victim of identity theft and fraud.

Somebody has set up two fraudulent O2 accounts in my name – a fact I only became aware of last week when I received 4 default notice letters for unpaid bills.

O2's fraud team are investingating, and have been predictably rubbish in their response and the way they've treated me so far (but we won't go into that now).

They have established that the accounts were set up online, using the 'click and collect' service. They also know which store the fraudsters picked up the phones from.

What I want to know is: what kind of security checks would O2 have carried out? Would they have asked for ID? If so, what kind would (and should) they have accepted?

Naturally, I want to know exactly what details or ID the fraudsters used to impersonate me, as it'll give me a much better idea of how the identity theft happened in the first place.

More than that, I want to know that O2 did everything they should have done when setting up the accounts. And if I find out that they did not carry out all the necessary checks, I will of course want to take the case further... whatever that involves.

Any insight or personal experiences of this kind of thing will be most welcome. Also, if you know what kind of options I have if O2 do turn out to have been negligent, I would very much like to hear them.

Thank you

[MI5]

In our experience the fraud team won't give out specifics regarding the methods used, so you'll never know unless you start legal proceedings against O2.

[PhoneDoc]

It's probably best to speak to the bank as well, possibly get a new card issued just in case, if the fraud team aren't willing to confirm the extent of the details used.

[Curr946]

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@MI5 wrote:
In our experience the fraud team won't give out specifics regarding the methods used, so you'll never know unless you start legal proceedings against O2.

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which you certainly should do, if they don't play ball

[Toby]

Hi @Anonymous,

Sorry to hear about this. I'm Toby, the O2 Community Head. Please feel free to send me a private message about this, as I can ask for an update in your case within O2. Lets get this sorted asap for you.

[Anonymous]

Thanks Toby, and thanks everyone else for your advice.

I already have zero confidence in the O2 fraud team's ability to investigate the case properly.

The person in charge had me waiting by the phone all afternoon on Saturday on the promise of a callback with more information. But, of course, the call never came. And it still hasn't come.

He also assured me that he would find out what ID was used in store, and said that if it is indeed my name and face on the ID, he would share the scan/photocopy with me.

I fully expect O2 to do a complete U-turn and tell me that O2 gave me the wrong advice. I also wonder if the reason he never called me back is because he found that the security checks were inadequate and no ID was ever requested...

[PhoneDoc]

I can understand you want to get to the bottom of this as quickly as possible, and I'm not sure what your experiences have been like with O2 in the past.

What I would say is, the only person at fault here is the individual who somehow gained access to your personal (and possibly financial) details, by whatever means. Hopefully how they may have done this will become clearer this week, but its very possible that this may have nothing to do with O2. After getting this information, they could have ordered a MacBook on credit of Apple, or a diamond ring on credit of Amazon, or a boat on credit of eBay. The fact that they chose to order devices from O2 could be immaterial. If someone has access to details that only you would know, then there's no way for merchants to tell its not you placing the order.

As far as O2s security checks go, you can't collect a C&C order without a code or a photo ID - the shop physically can't book it out. In this case, it was likely a code. This is pretty moot anyway, the fraud was comitted as soon as the contract was agreed to, not when the phone was collected, and the shop handed the phone to the 'correct' person - the person who placed the order.

In the meantime, you may instead want to think about how the fraudsters got hold of your details in the first place. There are many ways they could have done this, and those details (or possibly even more) could still be out there. If you have reason to believe it was through O2, then you need to let the Fraud Team and the Information Comissioner know. Insecure online shopping, spyware, phising scams, or card cloning, would be a lot more likely though.

You might want to consider steps like changing passwords, using different passwords for different websites, running virus scans on all your devices, shredding important documents before throwing them out, getting new cards issued, checking statements for the past couple of months for any inconsistencies, and speaking to your bank about any other steps you could take to prevent something similar happening in the future. Experian Credit Expert is something you might want to look at as well, it's free for the first month. You can keep track of credit agreements that have been taken out in your name, and they also have a tool that scans black market websites that sell personal and financial information, letting you know if any your details appear there.

[Anonymous]

Thanks @PhoneDoc – your advice is sound and sensible. I took all of your recommended steps the moment I realised the fraud had been committed. That was over two weeks ago, however, and I would have expected much more progress from O2 by now.

"What I would say is, the only person at fault here is the individual who somehow gained access to your personal (and possibly financial) details, by whatever means."

That may well be true. But it may also be true that O2's in-store checks were not up to snuff. That's what I'm trying to establish, and that's what the O2 agent promised to call back about on Saturday. It's now Tuesday and he still hasn't called.

[MI5]

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@Anonymous wrote:

"What I would say is, the only person at fault here is the individual who somehow gained access to your personal (and possibly financial) details, by whatever means."

That may well be true. But it may also be true that O2's in-store checks were not up to snuff. That's what I'm trying to establish, and that's what the O2 agent promised to call back about on Saturday. It's now Tuesday and he still hasn't called.

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 That's the answer we're all waiting for......

[Anonymous]

So, here's the latest.

I got home today and found four letters from O2 on the mat. Four enforcement notices demanding payment of the outstanding amounts, and threatening to escalate to the next level.

This despite being told that the accounts had already been shut down.

I called O2 straight away and asked to speak to the person handling my case. That was impossible, though, because the person in charge – the same guy who promised to call me back in Saturday – left no action points on my file. No number to contact him on, either.

All I have is the complaints review number, which is only available 9-5 Monday to Friday. Which is when, like most people, I am at work with no chance to call.

So I'm stuck waiting for O2 to make the next move. If you were me, would you have any confidence in their ability to make it?

[Cleoriff]

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@Anonymous wrote:

So, here's the latest.

I got home today and found four letters from O2 on the mat. Four enforcement notices demanding payment of the outstanding amounts, and threatening to escalate to the next level.

This despite being told that the accounts had already been shut down.

I called O2 straight away and asked to speak to the person handling my case. That was impossible, though, because the person in charge – the same guy who promised to call me back in Saturday – left no action points on my file. No number to contact him on, either.

All I have is the complaints review number, which is only available 9-5 Monday to Friday. Which is when, like most people, I am at work with no chance to call.

So I'm stuck waiting for O2 to make the next move. If you were me, would you have any confidence in their ability to make it?

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In a word.. No I wouldn't have any faith in that system at all.... It appears no-one from O2 is calling you back as promised......worse than that...there appears to no record of your calls. Disgraceful