Fraud - O2 have ruined my credit score

[JustB]

Around Januanuary this year I started receiving letters from O2 indicating that I've missed my payments. I checked my direct debits to O2 which showed I didn't miss any payments. The letters continued coming to my address and this time I was being threatened with enforcement officers coming to my house. That's when I decided to contact O2 to find out what was going on. I was told that I took an iPhone 13 and didn't pay my installments. Which was not the case. At the time I still had my old iPhone 8. I was then told that someone has managed to order an iPhone 13 using my personal details. I was told that an enquiry has been opened to investigate how this happened. On 16th February this year I received a message from O2 saying my enquiry has been passed to O2 Fraud, and they hope to let me know the outcome within 10 working days. This was in February, and I was never contacted until I noticed that my credit limit from my bank got reduced and companies started declining to give me credits. When I checked my credit report it showed that I've missed payments to O2. As a result my credit has been affected very much. Before this o2 issue I never miss any payments to any company. My credit score has always been very good. How did someone manage to pass all the O2 security checks and got a phone using my personal details? This is very scary. O2 promised to investigate this and to let me know the outcome within 10 working days since February, however it has been me having to call O2 several times to find out the outcome of this fraud investigation, how it happened and from which store. Because that device was never delivered to my address. Every time I call, I never get a definite answer to this query. My life has been affected very bad since I cannot use my credit card any longer to go on holiday with my family, I cannot carry out my planned home improvement, and all banks won't give me any loan. Because of O2 negligence my credit score has been badly affected resulting in messing my life and that of my family. It has been almost 5 months since I reported this to O2 and nothing has been done. Meanwhile my life and that of my family has been affected so bad. I would like to know how someone managed to order a phone using my personal details and passed all the O2 security checks without any ID to prove their identity. I've been with O2 for many many years and never had any issue. I always pay my bills on time via direct debit. I never had any payment issue with any company. I've spoken to some O2 customer service staff who were really helpfull in trying to resolve this but they keep updating their fraud department and saying to me that I should be contacted within 10 working, which never happens. This is so frustrating. I need help please. Advice 😞

Many thanks

[pgn]

Nobody here can access your account, but @O2Georgina is in from 8am tomorrow, she will reach out to you and see if there is any way things can be sped up.

Good luck - a shocking state of affairs!

[madasaf1sh]

@JustB 

Sounds like you have been a victim of identity theft, where someone has found information pertaining toy you, usually via you visiting a site that has had a data breach, or stuff you have posted on Social Media (we once did an exercise where someone posted on facebook and within 10 minutes we had there employer, home address and lots more PII data). 

My advice report the fraud to the police https://actionfraud.police.uk 

Let your bank know you have been a victim of identity fraud, 

Look into getting a CIFAS marker on your credit report. 

Be careful with what information you share on Social Media.

Unfortunately like all companies, it is upto you to provide evidence that you didn't take out the contract, and that you weren't negligent with your personal data.

Also be aware that o2 will investigate but it can take time, and if passed to the likes of the police, it can take months for them to come back to o2, and that due to the laws around these investigations, o2 are not allowed to tell you anything as it could be you that is the fraudster. 

[O2Georgina]

Morning @pgn  Thanks for the tag

@JustB  I will send you a private message now

[JustB]

@madasaf1sh

Many thanks for your advice. I don't share my personal details on social, and I always make sure that my antiviruses on all my machines are up to date. I work as an applications analyst, I'm really careful with data on my computers. I try my best to protect my personal details. I'm so curious to know how this happened. That's why I keep contacting O2 for thme to let me know the outcome of their investigation.  On my credit report this issue has only happened with O2. In the meantime O2 is still sending information that I'm still missing payment on that device and my credit score is still going down. I've received a message today from Experian saying "Your score has gone down by -43 points. You are currently in the Poor score band."  This is so frustrating. O2 sent me a message on the 16th of February saying "Your enquiry has been passed to O2 Fraud, we hope to let you know the outcome within the next 10 working days - From O2" It's been four months now, and it's been me contacting O2 to try find out how the investigation is going. Every time I ask they seem to have no information regarding on going investigation. The advice that @madasaf1sh has provided me with is the kind of advice I would expect from O2. They have not provided me with any advice at all since I've been contacting them. Thanks again @madasaf1sh for the advice. I will report this case to the police and will contact all my banks to let them know. This has never happened to me before, that's why I'm a little bit confused and frustrated about the whole situation.  

Many thanks

[SP3]

Hi Georgina,

I am suffering from a similar problem and it’s now getting beyond frustrating.

would you kindly contact me to try and assist in sorting this issue please.

I have been thrown from pillar to post by all the various depts who simply can not deal with the issue.

alternatively I will have to take legal action.

[rothokred]

The same thing has happened to me. Five months ago I received several "DEMAND NOTICE" letters in the post from O2 for accounts that I didn't open. I called O2 and reported it and they told me it would be investigated and that someone would come back to me. I didn't hear from O2 but I didn't received any further demands for payment so I assumed it was resolved.

Then, a few weeks ago I tried to pay for something with a credit card and it was declined because my credit limit had been all but removed. I investigated and discovered that my credit score had gone from "Excellent" to "Poor" because O2 had reported unpaid accounts.

Over the last month I have called O2 every week and every week, after spending an hour on hold, they assure me that it's a mistake, that they're very sorry and that they're going to resolve it. They also assure me someone will call me within five business days. I've been through this process three times now and I never get a call, and my credit score hasn't changed.

I also reported it to the police months ago when it happened but they told me that I wasn't the victim because I hadn't lost any money, and that O2 was in fact the victim.

I am so angry and frustrated. This is a life-changing error and there doesn't seem to be any way to hold O2 accountable for their mistake.

[gmarkj]

As other threads from people in a similar position have been told @rothokred you can file notice of corrections with the credit score companies directly.

As for o2, you can raise it as a complaint with them that they are not resolving the issue.

[rothokred]

Dear gmarkj - a notice of correction merely provides a way to add a note to the credit file - lenders are not obliged to consider it, and it has no direct impact on the credit score. These accounts do not belong to me and should not be linked to my credit file at all.

I have sent an email via the website to the complaints department of O2 but unsurprisingly, I haven't even received an acknowledgement of my email.

[gmarkj]

I understand that the correction notice won't fix the issue, but at least there would be a record with the referencing agencies that the extra accounts are not actually yours and are in dispute.