Possible fraud?

[PT729494]

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Hello all,

Can I please ask if anyone has had the same issue.

I today had a BT Openreach turn up at my house, whilst on speaker phone to a customer, with the ‘customer’ claiming my house is their address.

The engineer ended up hanging up on them as the customer couldn’t even describe the house, said they’d never been there but are about to move in, but had my exact address and read it back to the engineer on the phone, which I heard. So it isn’t the broadband company putting down the wrong address…

Has anyone else had this? The order wasn’t in my name, but ‘customers’ and their mobile number too. (Both of which I now have, as I asked the engineer if I could jot them down!).

I’m conscious if this is some how fraud, someone trying to set up utilities bills to my address? And what they can do with this?

Only by chance I turned up back at home when the engineer was outside on the phone to the customer.

I’ve phoned BT and they’ve said they can’t tell me anything without an order number. I had the engineers ‘job number’. It makes me so cross I can’t be told anything yet it’s my address and potential fraud!

Thanks in advance everyone!

[Keith_Beddoe]

@PT729494 

There is no such company as BT Openreach, its just Openreach.

Someone has placed an order for broadband, with a provider, and given the wrong address by mistake. The order could be with any provider that uses the Openreach network.

This often happens in blocks of flats, where someone has selected the wrong flat number.

The Openreach Field Technician would have passed the order back to his control, for them to check with the provider.

[36ULW]

‘The order wasn’t in my name, but ‘customers’ and their mobile number too. (Both of which I now have, as I asked the engineer if I could jot them down!).’

That Openreach Engineers just ‘Jotted’ himself down the Disciplinary route for a Data Protection Breach. Sackable offence that.

Also saw your Facebook Post as well, so will deffo prob be picked up by the Social Media Team.

[iniltous]

I think you are potentially being a little paranoid.

As stated,  people ordering service, especially for an address they are due to move into rather than changing provider at their current address , can give an ISP the incorrect address details, or the ISP can , if the customer is a little unclear on the address details ( gives the wrong post code for example ) they can select the wrong address , these things happen.

The fact the Openreach tech was apparently speaking to the ‘customer’ whilst at your address doesn’t suggest fraud attempt made on you , after all , it would be a bit of  a stupid attempt , if while talking to a scammer the tech is  outside your address and you come out and ask what’s going on , this scam wasn’t exactly going to go unnoticed for a long time  , an engineer knocking on your door and you say ‘ why are you here , you are at the wrong address ‘  , 

After you tell the tech ‘ I haven’t ordered anything from an ISP that uses Openreach ‘ the tech leaves , returning the job as incomplete, and if it were a scam , it’s now discovered, scammers don’t want you to know what they are up to , that’s why this is almost certainly a mistake not a scam , in fact if it were a scam , it’s probably the poor people the tech was on the phone to  that are the victims not you , after all, they may have been sold a tenancy for an address , paid rent etc in advance for that address ( your address ) and the ISP has been unintentionally involved by the victim, unknowingly ordering service for your address , somewhere they will never be able to move into , but I think that’s also less likely than it’s a simple error over addresses .

How do you know it was BT that had arranged the Openreach technician visit , there are dozens of ISP that use Openreach , so what caused you to call BT and not call Vodafone or Sky or Talk Talk etc.

As stated , you were already provided with  information that you shouldn’t have been given , even if BT were the company that the consumer ( in error )  gave your address to  BT they are not going to discuss another customers details with you , after all I’m sure you wouldn’t want your ISP discussing your details with a random caller , but what makes you assume it was BT , did a parcel turn up at your address from BT but in someone else’s name or did you incorrectly assume it must be BT and you called them without any evidence that BT are involved ?

Frankly you are overreacting to what is probably a simple error caused by a confused consumer giving your address instead of the correct one , or the ISP that sent Openreach put  the wrong address on their request for service, it’s not a big deal , OR send the job back , the ISP that raised the order asks their customer to confirm the address , the error is discovered, a new order raised for the correct address and the order that sent a technician to your address in error is cancelled, it’s no big deal