HELP TOPIC: Fraudulent Transactions - O2 Prepay Slough

[Anonymous]

Question: I have received my debit/credit card statement and there is a transaction on there which is showing "O2 Prepay Slough" and I haven't done it! What is it for?

Answer: Someone has obtained your card details (and not from O2!) and has used them to buy a O2 top-up.

The reason it has got O2 Slough on your debit/credit card statement is not because the fraud is originating there but is because Slough is where O2's HQ is and all top-up payments are processed there.

When a top-up is bought through one of the automated systems (for example: the top-up line or a web top-up), a number of security questions will be asked and would need to be answered correctly before the top-up is allowed.

If the security questions are answered correctly, then O2 assumes that it is you making the transaction as they haven't got any way in knowing that it isn't you and after all, the security questions have been answered correctly.

This is why it is vitally important to ensure that your card is 100% secure all of the time and this includes not borrowing your card to a family member or friend so that they can make a one-off top-up as your card will then be registered on their O2 Pay & Go account and it would then be easier for them if they wanted to do another top-up in the future.

Please do NOT contact O2 Customer Services as there is absolutely NOTHING that they can do for you. What you need to do is contact your card issuer and report it as fraud and they will then liaise with O2's Fraud and Security Team on your behalf.

Note: Only the card issuer can liaise with O2's Security and Fraud Team and not yourself.

It is then the responsibility of the card issuer to give you a refund and not O2.

Please also have a look at the site here, which gives you very useful information about how to protect yourself against fraud and identity theft.

[perksie]

This scam has been going on for years. Who is making all the money out of it? The Banks? O2? No wonder we have a fiscal crisis.
Total incompetence all round. Hopeless PRIVATE sector employees ! ?
As soon as I cancelled and cut up my Egg card the O2 scam hit. Egg has refunded the £30 of course, but we ALL pay for it. I'm inclined to tell their useless fraud department to **** off.
As for the police even less chance of them being interested .......

This does not concern O2 as it is nothing to do with them.
Egg have refunded you, that's the end of it.

[Anonymous]

I think its time to get this thread closed now. i dont know if a Mod is reading this or can do it. As most of the posts here have been repeated and everything has been covered in what a victim should do, which is contact his or her card issuer.

[perksie]

I agree, having answered the same questions several times over, unfortunately they don't seem to run this forum in the way you suggest.
The only way to get their attention is to flag a post and ask for what you want, sometimes it works but often not.

[Anonymous]

I see a lot of people here declaring that they cant have leaked details, that their security is second to none, but apart from cutting up a card on receipt there is no such thing as fool proof.
There have been several cases of gangs putting doctored chip and pin terminals into shops were the details were skimmed during legitimate transactions, it really can be that simple. Matters not if its a brave con where a guy pitches up as a service engineer and swaps out the C&P unit or a complicit store employee that facilitates the installation, the fact is there is no guarantee that your transaction inputs will not leak in some way.
Chip and Pin was never going to be the silver bullet the banks said it would, it just made the crooks job a little harder. I'm not fan of o2 - believe me I will probably be leaving soon after 10 years as they seem to have gone downhill in terms of customer service in recent years, but beyond barring both handsets and SIMs which have benefited from fraudulent transactions there really isn't much that can be done by the network without making the use of cards really difficult for everyone - and then hear the screams of protest. Personally I would prefer a system that linked a card to a phone number for top ups confirmed in advance by the customer outside of the o2 phone network (an activation link by email maybe?), for that reason I never top up my PAYG by credit card - I'm not giving the bank a chance to say "but you top up all the time maybe you forgot this one".
I find it puzzling that the banks seem to do so little to chase down the organised gangs behind this stuff - maybe its just easier to load the cost onto the public and pretend it doesn't exist.
Just My Opinion.... YMMV

[perksie]

Good post and very accurate assessment of what happens in many cases.
As long as people get their money back, which they do, there isn't much else as you say that can be done.

[Anonymous]

^^ well O2 or the banks don't seem to care about their customers (and people that aren't their customers for that matter)!
I've just been done by this O2 scam and my mate was a couple of weeks ago! It's a disgrace O2 have done nothing to help stop this and a disgrace the banks aren't following this up!
If O2 took the stance that every sim or phone that benefited from fraud was barred permanently would they keep doing this?! Probably not (well with O2 at least), yet they don't seem bothered about protecting themselves or others! Waste of space!

[perksie]

I hope you feel better now you've got that off your chest.
If you read the previous posts in this thread you would have all the information you need regarding this.
Your anger should be directed at the thieves who are pulling off these fraudulent payments.
It can only be done with access to your debit or credit card details, so unless you know how it's done you're back to square one.

[Anonymous]

I agree. Its a much better use of your energy to find out how they got your details (at least all card details plus address) rather than having a go at the place where they spent the money!
And as for barring the SIM. They aren't stupid enough to top-up their own SIM. They do a test top-up first of a random number (belonging to an innocent person). But you would know that if you'd read the thread.

[Anonymous]

I have just checked my online visa as well and O2 payment there for £15 !!!
done on the 23rd november - typically at end of statement so they could have had a field dayif i dont check online banking every day
Im on a contract / direct debit so this is definatley not right
ive cancelled the card and there are 3 other small transactions - my fax?
never bloody heard of them never mind used them
First time I have been done and very very careful with cards ( use a different cc for ebay / paypal ) with a low limit on it

IS IT MY FAULT ???

[Anonymous]

Somehow they must have obtained your card details and address (at the least ). As there are 3 transactions I would say you've definitely been compromised.