Wonga Email - Legit?

SimIsOnTheUp

Hiya DC,

That is most helpful, thank you.

Good plan regarding forwarding the email onto Wonga, and requesting secure contact details.

Thanks again,

Sim.

VanillaDelia

It looks like a legit email to me, I have received one before when I was in to payday loans, the email address is also correct. Was it addressed to your name? I could be that someone is spamming email addresses with a copy of the email they send out though, and linking up any 'click here' tabs to some fraud sites.

SimIsOnTheUp

Thanks Delia.

Folks, I have just had a rather alarming conversation with a Wonga rep, via their Live Chat facility.

He kept reiterating that their fraud team would contact me by phone tomorrow, even though I'd told him I would not discuss any personal details by phone - only by letter!

Anyway, he it seems that according to Wonga, a fraudulent application has been done in my name on 2nd August (it wasn't me!) and that the loan was turned down (thank goodness).

A transcript of the conversation is as per below -

Chat Started: 08-04-2010 13:08:18
Chat Log:
Paolo: Hello welcome to Wonga's live chat service, How can I help you?

You: Hello Paolo, I have recieved an email which claims to have been sent from Wonga. I am not sure if this a 'phishing' email or if it is genuinely from yourselves. It was sent 2 days ago, and here is a copy -

Dear XXXXXXXX,

Wonga.com has just received an application for a loan

If this application was made by you and you've recently visited the site to set your primary email address, merging the duplicate account, please ignore this message.

Otherwise, it's important that you know our anti-fraud system has detected multiple email addresses being used on your account.

If it was you who made the application, click her hereto re-verify yourself and your application will progress as normal.

This link will expire in 48 hours.

If it was not you who made the application and you suspect fraud, please reply to this email immediately with any information you may have so that we can report it to the police.ThanksThe customer service team https://www.wonga.com Wonga.com is a trading style of Wonga.com Ltd. Copyright © 2008 Wonga.com. Registered in England and Wales. Registered Number: 6374235. Registered Address: 88 Crawford Street, London, W1H 2EJ

You: (apologies for the formatting) The email subject header was - Wonga - multiple email addresses detected.

You: and the return email address is - theteam@wonga.com

You: Has this been sent from yourselves?

Paolo: yes it was sent from ourselves as its the multiple email decline email we send out

You: OK. However, I have not applied for a loan from you for some time. I did apply for a loan from Wonga back in March / April
of this year, but not since then, and have not visited your website since then either.

You: So, I am concerned as to why you have sent me this.

Paolo: ok so you did not apply on the 2nd aug?

You: No

You: Are you saying that you've received an application in my name on 2nd Aug?

Paolo: yes so what im going to do is pass your details to our fraud team and they will call you tomorrow

Paolo: does anyone else have access to your computer?

You: I won't discuss any personal details witht your fraud team, or anoyone for that matter over the phone! You will have to contact me in writing please.

You: Noone else has access to my computer, no. I suspected thjat the email may well be a sales tactic!

You: This is most unorthodox, asking someone to confirm their personal details by email.

Paolo: no not at all as an application was done on the 2nd using your details and a different email address

Paolo: if you do not want a call from the fraud team that will be the end of the matter for you.

Paolo: we dont ask they have done an appliction in your name with all your personal details using a different email address so the application was declined hence you got the multiple email decline email sent to you

You: OK. However this would not be possible, as noone else has my details. Please send me confirmation in writing however, confirming that their will be no application in my name / that it was declined.

You: I will then forward Wonga's email and our conversation today to my local Police station, so that they can confirm that this has not happened.

You: Surely for both yourselves and I, it is better to have a paper trail for this kind of situation? Hence, I've asked you for details in writing to be sent to me.

Paolo: i will request our fraud team call you tomorrow and they can arrange all the info you need

Paolo: you dont need to discuss all your personal details

You: Oh dear. You haven't listened to me. I will not discuss any of my personal details over the phone with anyone, and certainly not a loan company. Please can you just confirm that no loan has been taken out in my name?

Paolo: we have the info we need with this live chat hence i could see the appliction done in your name

You: OK. Please can you just confirm that no loan has actually been taken out in my name though?

Paolo: no it was declined as possible fraud by our system

You: OK, and you are saying that you are not prepared to send a letter to my home address regarding this?

Paolo: im not saying anything all i have said is i will pass your details to the fraud team to contact you as i do not work within the fraud team sorry

You: OK. Please ask your fraud team to contact me in writing - by letter only to my home address, and I will then respond to them so this can be dealt with. I will also forward our conversation to my local Police. Thank You.

Paolo: No problem.

Paolo: Thanks for using Wonga.
This chat has been ended by the operator.

..................................................................................................


Why on earth would their fraud team want to call me, rather than write?

Alas, I'm not going to worry about this now, as I've contacted them and if they want to write they will, and if they don't they won't.

I need to check my credit files anyway due to sorting my debts out, so I'll get onto the CRA's asap also.

Cheers,

Sim.

DarkConvict

Its not unusual for fraud teams to call you. Happens with the mobile operators as they suffer for it alot. They ring you because it is fast, and they get answers to questions quickly and if its the wrong answer (i.e. not understood the question) they can rephase it as needed. I would not worry about a telephone call however, each to there own preference.

If you do get a telephone call, simply think before you speak, do not reveal any personal details to them. Just state you called me, not me calling you so i need to know you are the right people.
Its all up to how you wish to protect your information, I all to freely give mine out yet have had no issues.