My O2 account was hacked! - Page 31

Anonymous · ‎30-09-2011

A couple of weeks ago I received an odd text from O2 informing me that I can upgrade my handset in September 2013. Now, I have a sim-only contract and haven't had a new handset from O2 in a number of years but I knew my contract was due to expire some time in late September so I checked my O2 account online. It seems that I now have a new tariff of £36 a month, which I knew nothing about and checking on down the page I spotted a completed order which turned out to be for an iPhone 4. Naturally I hadn't placed this. The Yodel tracking number revealed that it had been delivered to an address that wasn't mine the previous day.
I called O2 and discovered that my security question had been changed along with my home address and e-mail address. Someone had clearly managed to access my O2 account online and ordered himself a phone at my expense. Since the user name and password are known only to me, either O2's site security is extremely poor or someone inside O2 has accessed my information. Either way, I'm not impressed.
The customer service adviser was very helpful and promised that the fraud department would investigate and call me. However, eight days later I have heard no word from them and in the meantime I can do nothing about changing my contract while there is an issue with my account. I was planning to get a new phone, possibly the new iPhone when it comes out, but now I'm very concerned about O2's security. I've been with them for over ten years but I'm seriously considering whether I want to continue with them now.
The only piece of good news is that the phone was delivered one day and blacklisted the next.
Has anyone else had this happen? If so, how did O2 handle it?

jonsie · ‎20-04-2013

Yes they do but there again they use O2's data base. It seems far to easy for these criminals to change address and passwords. To me, and I'm just Mr Naivete, no one should be able to order a phone and change address at the same time...or is that too simplistic for O2 and CPW?

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Anonymous · ‎20-04-2013

@jonsie wrote:
Yes they do but there again they use O2's data base. It seems far to easy for these criminals to change address and passwords. To me, and I'm just Mr Naivete, no one should be able to order a phone and change address at the same time...or is that too simplistic for O2 and CPW?

The key procedural failure is that O2 are not verifying back to the original account contact details that the new contact details are correct. If the new details cannot be verified then the order for the new phone should not be processed.

MI5 · ‎20-04-2013

It's so obvious to everyone except O2, it would seem.....?

I have no affiliation whatsoever with O2 or any subsidiary companies. Comments posted are entirely of my own opinion. This is not Customer Service so we are unable to help with account specific issues.
Please select the post that helped you best and mark as the solution. This helps other members in resolving their issues faster. Thank you.

Liquid · ‎21-04-2013

I'm sure its against the law. If accounts are this easy to compromised then the data is not being securely processed.

Can't be all down to user error, you're allowed to set such simple passwords, it doesn't lock the account after a few tries(dictionary attack) doesn't even use capcha boxes(script attack) and the security/password questions are easily breakable from social media information.

It's all to simplistic. If you want to save money from fraud how about spend a little time on the security and save money in the long run. I doubt many(if any) phones are recovered each one costs money just basing on how many have reported on this thread its 14 phones. Shall we say average of 500 a piece (retail) that's £7,000 (I'm sure you could do the math :D).

£7k losses are only the ones we know about. I image the full figure to be fairly higher. Even O2 should worry about 7k in this day and age.

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Anonymous · ‎21-04-2013

O2 shouldnt allow any change of address to happen over the phone.

It should insist on photo id with the new address on being taken in to a O2 shop so the new details can be verified & a copy kept on file.

Anonymous · ‎01-05-2013

My account has been hacked too! I was in Spain last week and had been receiving several calls a day from unknown uk phone number which I suspected were companies touting for my business as my contract is due for renewal. Anyway I then received a text from 02 containing an order number and a text from a courier confirming delivery the next day! I phoned 02 and was told I had taken out a new contract! They also told me that my address had been changed on my online 02 account to one in London (I live in the midlands). This all freaked me out but Ive checked all my other online accounts for various things and they have not been hacked and neither has my online banking, I find it really odd that this is quite common as 02 try to make out it is really rare, there security system for changing addresses is really poor. In fact, I informed them over the phone of a change of surname but they wouldnt accept this and I had to send them proof in the post! They really should tighten up their change of address security I think. I am still waiting to hear from their fraud department about what will happen. I feel like going to London and knocking on the door of this person who signed fraudulently for this phone and demanding it to be given to me! I am so mad that this has happened!

adamtemp64 · ‎01-05-2013

Also report the fraud to the police http://www.actionfraud.police.uk/ http://www.actionfraud.police.uk/fraud_protection/identity_fraud

This is identity theft and needs reporting perhaps when the plod arrive at o2 they may prevent this in future.

This has been allod to go on for far too long.

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Anonymous · ‎03-05-2013

Very sorry to hear this roasapee, as you can from this thread many have succumbed to the same scam. In addition to the excellent advice already discussed, here are a few more from my own experience which may help you.

1. Be prepared to have to make many calls to o2, use 202 from your mobile otherwise you will need to pay for the cost of the call. Once a fraud case has been opened, don’t bother waiting to hear all the options when you call, just press any option, your calls are automatically transferred to the fraud team anyway.

2. If you are on an old tariff which is no longer offered, o2 will not return you to this tariff. You will have to argue your case, but they will discount your new tariff so that you pay the same as before. Do not accept an increase in your monthly charge, mine was unlimited data for £20/month. It’s unbelievable that they expect you pay more or accept less data, for something which is not your fault.

3. If you own a Blackberry and the stolen phone is not, your BIS services will be switched off. You will notice as your email/BB travel/BBM will stop working. You will need to request the BIS be re- instated as o2 do not automatically work this out!! Once you have managed to get BIS re-instated, BB travel and BBM should (after you sign in) automatically restart. For email you may need to resend the service book on the phone, google that if you don’t know how. Getting your phone and services back to normal will take time, and will be left to you to resolve.

4. When you call o2, you will speak to a different person every time, they say that they know what’s going on from the notes attached to your case, in my experience the notes are far from complete. Every person you talk to will tell you something different.

5. Don’t bother with web chat.

6. According to o2 your online account details are treated separately from your actual account details, so although they tell you it’s all sorted, you will need to keep pestering for the online details to be updated. I’m still waiting for mine to be updated 3 months on, it does however mean that I can’t upgrade online as my new (scammed) contract doesn’t expire until 2015. I’m not overly bothered as I won’t be staying with o2 anyway.

7. The address the stolen phone was sent to is probably an innocent third party. The scammers will intercept the delivery before it even gets to the house.

Be prepared for a long drawn out soul destroying experience, stand your ground. Good luck……….

Anonymous · ‎03-05-2013

Maybe it's about time O2 insisted on people upgrading there phone having to go in to an O2 store to collect it & show photo id.

I cant believe in this day & age a company the size of O2 have such slack security polices about changing account details & then sending a new phone out.

When will O2 wake up & actually do something to stop fraud like this happening?

Anonymous · ‎11-05-2013

Same thing has happened to me on 9th of May 2013. Someone renewed my contract for 24 months & ordered an iphone 5, which was sent to an address in Lanc. I am now being billed for a phone plan of £25 a month & an airtime tariff of £17. I contacted o2 who have told me that the fraud teamwill contact me within 5 working days. I think this is really slow as I want it sorted asap. Why can't they discuss it now? I have contacted the police but there is nothing more I can do. So annoying. I can't afford these payments!!