My mum got scammed and o2 are doing nothing about it.

[JPAnd]

Hi, not sure if I picked the correct board. 

However, my mum got scammed a few weeks ago, not sure exactly how it happened but a fake o2 call is the best I got and not sure what info was given over as my mum forgets things but somehow they sent her a new phone to our home address then made out that they incorrectly sent it so they wanted her to send it back to them (some random home address according to Google Maps).

I managed to catch it before they sent it to this person's address and then we contacted o2 to notify them of the scam and that my mum does not want the phone and wants to send it back.

We were told by o2 that they would send us a bag through the post to send the phone they have sent to us back to them and said it would take up to 30 days for this to happen (not sure why it would take so long).

30 days have passed and nothing has been sent to us from o2, my mum was then in the hospital for three weeks and while there she said she spoke to o2 again and that they were finding out the problem through the fraud team and to wait... but today my mum just got a new bill including the new phone she got scammed into taking and does not want or need. (I think it's been 60 days plus now!)

I also cannot access her o2 account as the email and password are not recognised and when I send password reset I get no email, if I do the password reset from her phone I do get an email but the link to reset the password doesn't work, so I can't even check what is going on. 

Any help on what to do would be greatly appreciated.

(do o2 have offices I can just show up to with the phone?) 

[MI5 · Accepted solution]

@JPAnd 

If you think you’ve been the victim of fraud – whether it’s because you’ve given details to someone over the phone, or clicked on a link in a suspicious text or email there are things you can do:

Contact your bank if you think you may have given out financial information. They can help protect your account and stop transactions.

Change your account and online account passwords. Not just your O2 account. All of them.

Forward fraudulent texts to O2 for free on 7726.

Contact Action Fraud on 0300 123 2040.

Call your Virgin Media or O2 customer services number if you think somebody’s taken out a contract using your details.

Virgin Media customers can phone 150 from their landline or 0345 454 1111 from any other phone.

O2 customers can call 202 from their O2 phone or 0344 809 0202 from any other phone.

You can block the number that called you, or any number you think may be suspicious.

How to block a number:

https://www.samsung.com/us/support/answer/ANS00062352/

https://support.apple.com/en-us/HT201229

There are also these links to look at:

https://www.o2.co.uk/help/safety-and-security/phishing-and-smishing-advice

https://www.o2.co.uk/help/safety-and-security/unwanted-calls-and-messages

https://www.actionfraud.police.uk/

Guide: How to find help & contact O2 

[JPAnd]

Thank you for the reply. I think I am going to have to use these and do this myself while my mum sits by my side as she is pretty terrible at remembering things and even understanding, so she just says yes all the time even if she doesn't know what is going on. 

I will also see if I can get the account moved onto mine so I deal with any potential issues. 

Thanks again. 

[Bambino]

@JPAnd If the O2 fraud team have become involved there's absolutely nothing you can do until you hear from them. The problem is going to be that they will only speak to your mum as she is the account holder. If she's as forgetful as you say this is going to be difficult to resolve.

[Oxonian]

@JPAnd 

Given your mother's health issues and admission to hospital, you might want to look at :-

Accessibility & Vulnerable Customers Policy | O2

https://www.o2.co.uk/access-for-all/accessibility-vulnerable-customers-policy

However, whilst that includes a Support Request Form for you use, progress is likely to be slow given the involvement of the fraud team - as per @Bambino's comment above ! 👍   

[Oxonian]

@JPAnd 

I should probably have also mentioned that whilst it might appear to you that O2 are doing nothing, in fact O2 might be unable to give you an update whilst their fraud investigation is ongoing. They have to comply with both criminal law and Money Laundering Regulations and this could be jeopardised if they update you or your mother whilst their case is incomplete. It is also possible that your case has been subsumed into a wider investigation if the same fraudster has other "victims" in addition to your mother.

This point is frequently raised by other O2 customers who have had similar issues. In fact, last Autumn, there were several national newspaper articles and even a programme on TV about fraud against O2. You can find details of those if you search this forum.  

I would keep pushing O2 about this, at least so they do not forget about you !

Please keep us informed of developments.