My account was hacked into 15th Oct`

[Anonymous]

Hi.
Anyone else had this?
Some scumbag broke into my O2 account, changed my email address and home address, then ordered an upgrade of a new Iphone 4S !!!!
I`m stuck now with a tarrif for the phone I didnt want, or even recieve as it was delivered to the next door neighbour of my "new address".
Currently going through a fraud investigation.
How is this possible? :robotmad:
Eddie

[Anonymous]

It's likely you've either had a fishing email or you've logged on to a dodgy website. It happens to all companys, on my older email address that I've ditched I'm constantly getting emails from 'banks' I've never been with and asking me to log on to re-activate my account.

[jonsie]

Unfortunately, it's a risk we all run in this 'click and you shall receive' world of shopping with everyone's details and passwords registered with different companies. Apparently no ones details are totally secure no matter how careful and security conscious we are.

[Anonymous]

Another way that people can perpetrate frauds like this is simply through sifting through your rubbish and finding post with personal details on it. I'd recommend investing in a shredder for all discarded mail.
If someone called customer services armed with personal details they had found (an old bill etc) they might be able to answer the security questions that are used whenever an "account holder" has "forgotten" their password. They can then add a password themselves, change account details and upgrade. It's quite common for people to contact CS so infrequently that they have moved house since last time and so it would not look suspicious, especially if that customer is well out of contract.
Another one is where they might use details found in a bin to go round all the networks taking out new contracts everywhere. No system is foolproof. Vigilance is your best bet.

[perksie]

Call me an old cynic but could the user name for the OP be the same as his forum name?
If so we're halfway there!

[Anonymous]

had the same happen to me your now the 5th person ive seen put this on their website can i ask if youve had any problems with your bank etc cos imn wondering if there trying to get out bank details as well. ive changed passwords etc on everything and had notes put on accounts luckily the clerks cancelled all direct debits to my account so they cant get my bank details and i wont be charged for the new tarriff i didnt ask for frauds currently going through calls im glad im not the only one this is happenbing too but my question is why have they let these people get into our accounts if they fail info checks there security needs updatin in people passing checks etc the person who got an upograde out of my account now has a blocked phone

[Anonymous]

Unfortunately a large amount of people who call cs give every impression of wanting to be granted access by simply saying "it's my account" when they forget their own security answers, as if the agent is supposed to magically know they are the account holder despite knowing nothing about their own account when asked, they then become extremely irate and call the agent "ridiculous" for trying to ensure they are who they say they are, the general public can be really pathetic about this in my experience and interest in security is non existent when THEY can't do it.
I just wonder if some less experienced/less resolute agents might have let themselves be bullied into granting access in a few cases? It's not an excuse, they shouldn't do it, but I wonder all the same.

[jonsie]

When I worked at O2 it was drummed into advisers that callers would not be given access to their accounts until strict security protocols where satisfied.
If access was denied and the customer became abusive we could a)terminate the call or b) pass the call to a manager , which was part of the manager's job. You are also lucky if a manager or team coach deem it part of his job to actually speak to people nowadays!
Oh how times have changed. I believe that many staff have been allowed to leave the company under the cost cutting policies adapted by many private and national companies. These have been replaced largely by agency staff obviously on a much lower wage than the staff leaving and without the benefits of other company employees.
Obviously these employees will still have to undergo strict training in procedures and sign the Data Protection Act.
Just saying, it's the way most of these telecom companies are going now.