BT Cellnet (and now O2) are taking money from the accounts of thousands of innocent people without their authority
Logotypes of O2 / Telecom Securicor Cellular Radio Limited used here for the purposes of illustration and fair comment only
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Steve Pardoe's O2 / BT Cellnet Fraud Index Page BT Cellnet (and now O2) are taking money from the accounts of thousands of innocent people without their authority Logotypes of O2 / Telecom Securicor Cellular Radio Limited used here for the purposes of illustration and fair comment only |
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New Update 17. September 2007 - yet more O2 fraud victims are writing to us!
Disappointingly, and despite the massive adverse publicity which we've generated for them and their shabby predecessors BT Cellnet, it seems that O2 are doing little to discourage fraudulent top-ups of their pre-pay mobile phones. Many more e-mails from victims in the last few months suggest that this unnecessary and cynical fraud is happening again. It's appalling and unnecessary, and if it carries on we'll have to get the media on the case again. See what bad publicity they suffered last time here. Is that really what O2 and Telefonica want to be famous for?
We had a message today from a victim whose account was debited by nearly £700! He was fortunate to spot the debit almost immediately and his bank has credited most of it back, but there is still some outstanding. What is it with O2, that they persist in condoning this fraudulent practice? How can a phone top-up credibly run to such a large amount in a single 'cardholder-not-present' transaction, anyway?
The victim wrote, "Contacting O2 has been a waste of time so far, my next move is to get the police involved too. I can't believe this is still happening to members of the public with no O2 account or O2 phone!"
Neither can we. Have O2 really no clue, or conscience, about card security?
Here's a case reported in The Sunday Times Online. The victim said, "I couldn’t believe it when Tesco Visa told me O2 would not be investigating the matter further.” I can well believe it : it suits O2's business model to protect their dishonest customer, just as it did when they called themselves Cellnet. It's a disgrace, and I'm utterly disgusted that O2 are still cynically profiting from it.
A recent victim writing to us had £225 taken [1] from her account by O2 ; and while her bank has been helpful, O2 have not, even trying to put the blame on the victim's daughter! I wonder whether Telefonica realised what they were taking on when they bought O2?
[1] Apparently I'm not allowed to say "stolen", since Cellnet used to insist that they had no "intention permanently to deprive", even though they refused point blank to reimburse the money they took from me! Instead, they threatened me with legal action if I used the word "steal" (their big-hitting lawyers, Lovell White Durrant, and PR company Fishburn Hedges, downloaded copies of the material on our website). Nice.
The Daily Telegraph (whose lawyers are more powerful than mine) were happy enough to call Cellnet's top-up scam "Steal-as-you-go phones" when they publicised this website.
There's been an increase in traffic to this Cellnet fraud story page, and readily-identifiable visitors among the hundreds of hits include Halifax & Bank of Scotland, HSBC Bank plc, and a well-known firm of consultants (you know who you are). No wonder - clicking "I'm feeling lucky" on a Google search for "O2 fraud" or "cellnet fraud" hits this page. Even an innocent "bt cellnet" search lists this page second - without even mentioning fraud! Serves them right.
Background
BT Cellnet (now trading as O2) deliberately allowed anyone to use anyone else's debit or credit card numbers to top up a pre-pay phone, with complete impunity. Cellnet simply took the money from thousands of victims' bank or credit card accounts, (including mine, no fewer than three times), without proper authorisation, and with absolutely no identity check. They fell back on a specious argument that their authorisation procedures had been agreed by the banks. This was disingenuous, because the authorisation they were referring to was that between Cellnet and their Merchant Acquirer, and purely there to protect Cellnet against cards which are over their credit limit or on a hot list. Cellnet relied on this confusion over authorisation, and a public perception that credit card fraud is an inevitable fact of life, to fob off their victims ; and, even more reprehensibly, to fob off the media. This was typical of a very messy and cynical PR exercise which BT and their associates ran to try to discredit my campaign.
BT Cellnet refused point blank to compensate their victims for their loss and inconvenience, and when the victims complained they were treated abominably, and even threatened with legal action (we have copies of letters and e-mails showing this). Cellnet's serial fraud against me and my company prompted this Internet campaign, to assist other victims and draw media attention to Cellnet's disgraceful behaviour. They refused to cooperate with victims, or the Police, in tracing the fraudulent phone user, leaving people exposed to repeated theft. Cellnet preferred instead to protect their dishonest customer.
You can still click on these links to read a précis of the
appalling story, and visit our
media page. The other material remains available on request.
And what about O2? Oh dear. The "oxygen of publicity" backfired on BT Cellnet. In French, O2 is pronounced "Odeur"!
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