A man is facing legal action over a fraudulent phone contract linked to the telecommunications company Three, despite having never been a customer. He received letters demanding payment for a contract he did not authorize, prompting him to initially suspect it was a scam. The situation escalated as a law firm informed him of an impending court case due to the alleged debt.
The individual, who has been a loyal Vodafone customer since 2001, received notices indicating that he owed money to Three for a phone contract. Upon first receiving the correspondence, he believed it to be a fraudulent attempt to extract money from him. However, as the letters continued to arrive, he realized the matter was serious.
Three has yet to respond to his inquiries regarding the unauthorized account, which has caused significant distress. He explained that he had never purchased a phone from the company and that his personal details had been misused. Despite reaching out to Three's customer service and reporting the incident to Action Fraud, his concerns went unanswered.
As the situation worsened, he received notice that legal proceedings would be initiated against him. He attempted to clarify the issue with the court service over the phone but found that the lack of response from Three left the case unresolved.
In light of the ongoing issues, Three has acknowledged the situation and confirmed that they will notify Cifas, the UK's fraud prevention service. This action will lead to a protective marker being placed against his name, which should help safeguard him from future identity theft complications. Additionally, Three assured him that they have closed the fraudulent account and that he would not be liable for any costs incurred from it.
“We apologise that our customer services did not meet our usual high standards on this occasion.” – Three
“We have logged the account as fraudulent, cancelled all payment requests and requested that the credit file is amended.” – Three
The individual expressed his frustration, stating, “We have been a victim of identity theft.” His experience highlights significant gaps in customer service and communication within Three, raising concerns about how such incidents are handled.