O2 phone contract scam: Colchester victim worried bailiffs would come

Dean Allen said he was 'continuously' on the phone with 02

A man who was a victim of identity fraud said he began "dreading coming home" in case bailiffs had visited.

Dean Allen, from Colchester, received enforcement letters from 02 after his details were used to take out three mobile phone contracts.

After five months, his complaint was upheld by the company after he reported it to the Communications Ombudsman.

O2 told the BBC it had apologised to Mr Allen and had updated his credit file.

Mr Allen said he found out in May, via a bank and a store, that he had been a victim of identity fraud, and reported it to Essex Police and Action Fraud.

In June, he received default notices from 02 relating to three different accounts.

Despite being "continuously" on the phone with 02, he said he subsequently received enforcement letters which said the matter had been passed to debt collectors.

"In total I had 55 emails back and forth with O2 and various bodies trying to get this sorted out," Mr Allen said.

"I just didn't seem to be getting any support or help from O2 - every time I phoned them I got the impression that I was being a nuisance."

Mr Allen said he contacted 02 more than 50 times to try to resolve the problem

Mr Allen's credit score was affected by the scam, so he took the matter up with the Communications Ombudsman.

It recognised the "strain" it had put on Mr Allen and his wife , but also noted the company "had also been the victim of fraud".

It said 02 had "conceded it could have handled the situation better".

Mr Allen said he had accepted the ombudsman's offer of resolution, but called for more advice to be offered to people to protect them from being scammed.

An O2 spokesperson, said: "We would like to apologise to Mr Allen for the time it took to resolve his case, and have closed the accounts, recalled the debt from the debt agency and updated his credit file."

Sgt Michael Rogers from Northamptonshire Police said victims should contact authorities about any suspected fraud

Crime Survey of England and Wales data shows there were nearly four million incidents of fraud in 2022 - 4,100 in Northamptonshire with a total loss of £19m to residents.

Sgt Michael Rogers, from Northamptonshire Police's economic crime unit, urged people to speak to someone and not "feel ashamed".

He said: "As it stands, fraud and cyber-related crime amounts to at least 50% of recorded crime, both locally and nationally."