fraud - poor service to prevent /detect

Question

Discovered someone set up a contract using my details in store 200+ miles away from my home. Reported to fraud team will investigate expect response in 30 days. Not content with this I asked some simple questions: please can you provide me with the information used to confirm identity and more importantly my bank details. Being old school I believed you would need some identification from the last 3 months, and any identity information used to set up contract would be copied. No not ID mobile. No copy’s and can only get info regarding this if I travel to the store it was purchased. Totally unbelievable. Further investigation by me from visiting my local store uncovered that my payment details are on file from a purchase I made in 2019. Probably the last purchase from Currys. So the fraudster didn’t need my bank account info just someone to set up the contract using payment information already stored on the system. No copies of ID used to verify identity. No notes on purchase. No red flags why this was in a store 200+ miles away. Asked for CCTV footage but told again I need to visit said store. There is a simple explanation why these fraudsters are able to do this and simply get away with it. In the meantime I have to cancel cards, passwords, all because ID mobile don’t have sufficient fraud prevention measures. Why are they not taking copies of identification/proof of address from last 3 months. These simple measures would have prevented the fraud.

Radiatedust3 · Answer

Review of the contract shows some basic irregularities:

signature is incorrect. What documentation was used/provided as proof of signature- ID mobile don’t take records so I’m assuming none.

£59 payment for the transaction was made using a different card - not my bank card attached to my bank account (a completely different one). Again no information of this card can be provided, no details on paperwork. (Name / last 4 digits - nothing)

mobile phone number is incorrect. The mobile phone number was a previous work mobile last in use over 6 years ago. This however would tally with the last purchase I made from Currys in 2019.

no proof the fraudster had my bank account information as my details were already on the system due to 2019 purchase.

no time stamp on purchase. So even if I was provided with cctv we wouldn’t know what section of the day to detect the fraudster as no time stamp of purchase.

So on reflection of the available information I have been able to source I am leaning towards this was mistaken identity rather than fraud. My name isn’t unique. It is more than believable that someone of the same name purchased a mobile phone and the member of staff linked the purchase to my account which Currys had on file (pre existing account). A simple human error rather than some random fraud. However due to the lack of details and information attached to contracts we will never know for certain.

im deeply concerned how without my bank card can a direct debit be set up but only ID mobile/Currys could answer this. Also the issue surrounding proof of signature is as concerning.

I’ve hopefully highlighted some major red flags Currys and ID mobile have in their operations when conducting contracts. Simple measures like taking photocopies, scans of information from people would have prevented this. I still await their response.

to note the chat, telephone to fraud team was required to register the fraud but unhelpful in terms of information. Told repeatedly this was online when it wasn’t and the information I requested could only be provided by the store (200+ miles away.) My local store confirmed how inept the security and protocols were and I’m literally surprised this isn’t more frequent.