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.

[Anonymous]

My parents have been the victims of this and it's been going on since 2009, the thing is they don't use or have an account with o2 there on 3 and vodafone, o2 are bound to know that something is going on, we have informed the police and the bank and if there is no action soon we have been advised to inform watchdog, reading some of the posts on the forum I'm surprised that it's not just o2 customers that are affected, o2 need to take a look at security and do something fast before more people get ripped off!!!

[perksie]

You picked up on this ancient thread but don't seem to have read any of it, the credit/debit card used has been compromised and they need to contact the issuer.
Where the money was spent is irrelevant.

[Anonymous]

I have read all of this thread and several others and O2 are in my opinion equally as culpable.
Their lack of security checks are exactly the problem.
How come every other mobile network doesn't have the same problem with their top up systems?
It is because the proper checkls are made.
The idea that they need your address is a complete fallacy.
The cards are scanned on both sides revealing all details from your card INCLUDING the security code on the back.
O2 only require information held on the card itself, there is NO ADDRESS CHECK which is half the problem.

[Anonymous]

I have read all of this thread and several others and O2 are in my opinion equally as culpable.
Their lack of security checks are exactly the problem.
How come every other mobile network doesn't have the same problem with their top up systems?
It is because the proper checkls are made.
The idea that they need your address is a complete fallacy.
The cards are scanned on both sides revealing all details from your card INCLUDING the security code on the back.
O2 only require information held on the card itself, there is NO ADDRESS CHECK which is half the problem.

What nonsense!
The other networks do have this issue, but you wont see this mentioned here as its an O2 forum. In fact some networks are even more susceptible because they allow you to register a card and then top-up by sending a text. So you could have your phone stolen and they can top it up using your card!
They do ask for address details, even the automated system does.
Thirdly, its the banks and card processing companies that decide what information is needed to authorise a transaction.
All this effort spent blaming the place where the thieves use your details would be better spent securing your info.

[Anonymous]

My details are very secure.
The card was cloned in a Tesco machine in Feltham, Middlesex. I live in Wales. I know where it was because this is the only place I have used my card in the last 3 weeks.
After discovering it and ringing the bank I phoned the local police.
They went to the shop concerned and found AND removed the scanning unit. It was still there. This was within 24 hours of me using my card.
How did they get my address details? Had they followed me up the M4? I don't have anything with my home address with me in Feltham.
I am not the only one to have suffered this with no evidence of details being taken.
I came here after looking on google because there were O2 payments and suprise surprise this scam has been running for years.
I did the same search on orange, vodafone and t-mobile but O2 returned far more hits. (Nearly ten times in fact)
I suggest before writing ill-informed retorts that you conduct a bit more research. An address is NOT always required depending on payment method. O2 informed me of that themeselves. Are they lying about their own methods?
I have also voiced my concerns about this fraud to another company who allowed my card details to be used again without proper check or address validation. F1 Autocentres. The verification of the card details is down to individual suppliers (of whichever product).
It is not unique to O2 but it appears that they are the most popular purveyor of mobile phones for todays card cloning conniseur.

[perksie]

The fact remains as pointed out by prking, it's the card issuers who decide the security levels, and your anger and complaints should be directed at them, not the establishment where the money was spent as it will lead you nowhere.

[Anonymous]

Well this happened to me on Friday 24 Jan 2014.

Two O2 prepay transactions (slough) £10 each on my credit card.  Then they went in for a big £1600 at Feather and Black, but F&B noticed the billing address was different from the delivery address and cancelled it.

By chance I was looking at my transactions online on Sunday evening, two days later, and googled this!  HSBC were good and cancelled the card straight away and refunded the money.

Contrary to what some are saying above, it IS worth speaking with O2.  I rung their 'business' number (the only free to call number I could find), and they put me through to their Fraud team.  Before that I got a bit of a run-around when speaking the O2 PayG team, who said that they needed the GED number to locate the transactions.  HSBC said that because it was a credit card top up (rather than a direct-debit) that no such GED number is generated.

The O2 fraud team were very good.  They were able to locate the transactions based on the credit card number alone.  I was ringing to get them to reverse the balance back to me or O2 at least (even though HSBC were going to put me right).  She noted that there was only about £0.40 left on the phone balance, so that wasn't going to work, but what she could see was that there had been several top-up attempts (many unsuccessful) from various cards, and said she will be immediately shutting down this phone.

Hence - it's worth getting them to do this if only to cause the fraudsters a bit of inconvenience.

The O2 Fraud person also said that the fraudster needed more than just my credit card number for PrePay (PayG) mobile top-ups, because the first time any card is used for this purpose, then additional details are required like; expiry and ccv (3 digit code on back), and address details.

I contacted the police, but I don't think they have the resource / time.  However, one of them said that the O2 Fraud team would also contact them if O2 were to pursue it.

[perksie]

LOL this thread is over 5 years old.

O2 may help out if they can but it's the card issuers responsibility.

You would have no redress in law against O2 for this.

[Deansy]

Seems I'm joining a loooooong list of a problem that, despite it being reported over a long period, very little seems to have been done ??. On checking my bank-account today, I noticed in 'Transactions pending' an amount of £105.99 being claimed by -

TELEFONICA UK LTD SLOUGH GB

Like others, I contacted my bank who very quickly dealt with it - almost immediately it was removed from my account and a new card issued, although the lady I dealt with assured me that this amount was NOT done with details from my card. She did say that they had knowledge of this fraud and that it's an ongoing problem being looked into by their financial-fraud dept. All she knew was that the fraud originated from the Manchester area but the money goes overseas ?.

What really hacks me off is the people who are doing this, have to be the ultimate in 'Lazy' !! They're obviously very, very skilled in IT and could obtain an undoubtedly very lucrative position LEGALLY in which they'd be able to afford a very comfortable lifestyle without the threat of losing their liberty - but NO, they'd rather steal than get off their backsides !!

[Toby]

Hi @Deansy,

I'm Toby, the O2 community head. Welcome!

Feel free to send me a PM and we can have a chat about this problem and if we can help.