Someone is using my number

[Anonymous]

I have had my number for around 4 years. In the past few weeks I have received a message from TU with verification code which I never requested. Few days later I receive a message from FreeSim saying Hi Lauren (I don't know anyone called Lauren) thanks for requesting a SIM please confirm you're not a robot by pressing the link below. The link looks like a legit o2 website.. I didn't press is as I know this wasn't me. Now since then I have been getting around 5 phone calls a day from different companies looking for Lauren, telling me how I've applied for all these different things.
I have spoken to o2 which were pretty useless all they could do was offer £10 discount off by next bill.
I would like to know if this has happened to anyone else? Is it possible that someone is using my number? I have got this person's surname will try and find out more with each phone call I receive and maybe I should report this person for fraud?

What are you ideas as it's a little creepy and very frustrating.

[MI5]

If it was me I'd get a number change but it is worrying that someone can register your number for TU without you knowing about it.
This is something O2 need to take seriously so their fraud dept plus action fraud need to be informed.

[Anonymous]

when you reg for Tugo you get an activavtion code text to your phone!! it could be a number recycle or someone has a very very simular number to urs which could be one dgit up or one digit down! it is a worry yes but could just be the number neighbour 

[jonsie]

Or you could be the victim of a malicious prank. The code for TU I'm guessing is an error by someone registering with a similar number. Ride it out for a few more days but if it carries on and someone has given your number out then it would seem a number change is the only option. I appreciate you've had the number a long time and the inconvenience but it might be the smartest thing to do. 

[Anonymous]

other thing you can do is log onto my o2 and see if their are any other devices attached to your account or if the device shown is a different to the one you are using, check bill usage too if their is anything you dont recorgnise then you could be victim of a number clone!!! check that and see what it says! hope ithelps 

[MI5]

I've been thinking about this and from a technical perspective a mobile phone is broadcasting the message "the SIM card I have with the ID XXXX is now available on the network". This ID is called IMSI and is unique to a SIM card.
The IMSI is then mapped to a phone number by your provider.
If you break this connection (by going to the network provider and requesting a new SIM card) the cloned card is useless. Its IMSI stops to be associated with your phone number (which you can retain on the new SIM card).
Cloning a sim card, however, is very difficult to do, so it's an unlikely scenario. In fact modern sim cards are impossible to clone, unless done by the network themselves.
The calls you are getting are an obvious annoyance but are not particularly dangerous.
If they are transmitting a number you can add it to your blocked call list.
Just worth trying a new sim and blocking calls before changing your number if it's important to you.

The question of the TU message is still a concern for me though but it is impossible (hopefully) to register TU on another device without access to the code that you received and hopefully that was just an error by someone entering their number wrong (I've done it myself) and the calls are just a coincidence.

[MI5]

Question of cloning has been asked here on another forum and seems to be unanimously believed to be impossible without your knowledge.
https://www.quora.com/Theoretically-is-it-possible-to-clone-a-SIM-card-of-someone-with-only-his-phon...

[Marjo]

Good morning @Anonymous and welcome to our forum! That does sound creepy.  I'll drop you a quick PM to discuss a bit more, please check when you get a moment!