Scammed . How do I fight back

[Unsure33]

I feel so stupid of how I have been scammed , and I know I have a fight on my hands ,

I was really busy working when courier came to the door . He had a courier shirt with Logo on .
Handed parcel over , I signed .

Put in side . Few minutes door went again and the guy is stood there and said he had call and delivery cancelled as not for me sent in error . I said I needed him to ring supervisor to note I recinded my signature . He made a call . I handed back parcel . You guessed it the whole thing was a con and I had signed for a phone and apprentlly contract on line .

Now O2 are saying I am liable .

So I want to fight back

How would these people intercept a phone allegedly addressed to me .

How can they run up a huge bill with no financial details being given ?

Why did they not notice I suddenly had two accounts .

Opened with another email that was not mine ?

I now have to see if I have any ID a theft insurance anywhere . I feel sick and so stupid .

Legally if they pursue me I want to counter act them for such a stupid system and find out how the phone was sent to fraudsters .

But who ever carried out scam must know how they would be delivered

I still don't understand how you signing made it through to O2. Unless it was an inside job with the courier.
How does signing something with a scammer make it an official signature?

Yes I will fight believe me . I am just panicking at the moment and annoyed with myself .I think there were two people in the van as well which I thought it was odd , but I was stressed about other things at the time .

@Souther

I will let you know when I find out .

This is how it works:
www.bbc.co.uk/news/business-49450485

Looking up the scam online it’s a different courier who picks it up from you - eg they order a phone in your name, it’s delivered (legitimately) then the crooks send someone round posing as a courier (eg it’s not actually the person who legitimately delivered it to you), get it back from you and now have the phone, signed up in your name.

www.herts.police.uk/news-and-appeals/warning-to-residents-after-series-of-delivery-scams-0066

Like this !

[quote NeverNotChasingDreams]This is how it works:
www.bbc.co.uk/news/business-49450485[/quote]
This scam involves something being delivered legitimately and then a different person collecting.

For the op. The same person delivered then came back a few minutes later to collect it.

I honestly can’t remember if same person . It was all so quick .

And van was behind our wall . Yes thinking back it could have been a different person . I feel even more stupid now but as there were two people in van he might have said my colleague sent me back

Damn .

Keep on at 02 customer services and also contact ombudsman

I had so much on my mind at the time . 😢

It clearly works with many people or they wouldn’t do it so don’t beat yourself up, you’re not the only one.

Yes I will fight it .it’s the opening of the credit account so easily and letting them run up a huge bill that is so annoying.

Op are O2 expecting you to settle the account via a direct debit agreement? Because you have recourse via the dd guarantee.

I do remember now . The man who came back said my colleague has just had a call and we need to take back as delivered in error thats why I did not click a different person but there were two in van when it drove off . He was so super cool when he rang to say I wanted it recorded that I was not signing . My suspicions must have been raised and yet I was still taken in .

What an idiot .

@rottengreentomatoes

No as far as I can tell no money gone from my account and no bank details given . They said done on cash basis ???? So they just ran up a bill did not pay it and it is in my name .

I only found out amount by checking my credit account . o2 have just taken all the details at the moment they are going to come back to me for crime number . But I will call them again tomorrow.

In total they have let them run up the phone plus calls or whatever they were doing with it . Total £3500 🤮

So my arguments are going to be lack of care on their side as well .

How can they let another account be opened in my name and my address ( that they already hold ) with a different email address and no financial security and let someone run up a huge bill ? No bank details at all ? No signature for the contract .

Honestly I am normally quite astute . If I did not have so many other things going on I would have sorted this earlier .

OP - I had similar happen - a very expensive handbag (over £1,000) delivered by a high end retailer. As I hadn't ordered it I checked with the company and someone had opened an account in my name with my bank account details. On the phone to them when a taxi driver called to collect the 'misdelivered' bag. Company told me to call the police who spoke to the (legitimate) cab driver. He'd been commissioned to take the parcel to the other side of the city.
Eventually got my money back (and company came and collected the bag) but this was over 5 years ago!

@MrsOvertonsWindow

When I look back at what happened I still don’t know how they follow the original couriers ? That’s why it did not click until just now . I still thought it was the same delivery company . It’s so slick and even the uniforms .

I know that part is not O2 fault but if they know it happens why don’t they restrict credit when they have no DD or anything ?

Sorry it happened to you . Normally I would just be angry but going through a lot of other stuff at the moment and it is just the last thing I need .

How stressful Unsure33. Hopefully a concerted effort with customer services will resolve it? Surely your bank should be involved? Mine were in order to get my money back.

IF the worst happens there are some brilliant advocates who work on all the daily papers - they take up customer complaints that are evidently not the customer's fault and get some excellent results (usually via the press office). The press are also often interested in scams like this.
Fingers crossed that it gets sorted tomorrow

They don’t have my money yet , just run up credit in my name and threatening court .

Now I am clearer about what has happened I am going after O2 for letting a fraudster run up all that credit with no security. Or proof of address or anything like that .

Still puzzled as to why genuine courier asked you to "sign" due to covid rules??

All the major couriers have it on their websites that they will knock, step back, and confirm name before leaving parcel on doorstep/as directed. I run a business so have frequent courier deliveries and all are now doing this. Not signed for a parcel for well over a year,

Even when I did sign my "signature" was nothing like my real one but just a squiggle.

@Souther

Not sure if it's worth it, but sometimes going to some of the newspapers money help pages and they can get involved and sort it.

I'd try this. The Guardian and Observer have consumer rights champions who take on cases like this and highlight the issue. They can often get the PR depts to back off so they may be able to get O2 to stop pursuing you.

If you Google the email address for the ceo at 02, email them and you will be responded to by a customer service team who can actually do things and have power to stop accounts and refund you etc. I thought I had fraudulent activity with my 02 account whereas it had been set up wrongly when I renewed my contract. I kept calling the usual numbers and getting fobbed off, called a silly woman and to stop calling. I emailed the ceo add2and it was sorted within 48 hours, refunded within 10 days.