Companies complicit in ID theft?

Pipkins

Hi,

Just thought I would share a story with you....

On Monday of this week a scammer applied for a credit account with a well known home shopping organisation. Their application used only my name and address plus a date of birth that was incorrect. An account was created and an order accepted.

On Tuesday the item ordered was delivered to us (I was out and my wife thought I might have ordered something...) When I called the company and their fraud department worked out what had happened. They told me that as the market is very competitive they typically will open an account and ship goods as long as the name and address are verified. The account was frozen, apology issued and courier sent to collect the item. Today I was told that the scammer has subsequently tried to order more goods but the order has been blocked.

Am I alone in thinking that major organisations should not be creating a credit account on the basis of such scant information without verifying with the household in question in writing? It's such a basic scam that it hardly classes as ID theft. I now have a wife who is concerned that someone is going to turn up and try to retrieve the goods. The company in question (and police) believe that the scammer would try to get the goods redirected by the courier but I suspect they could turn up claiming a parcel for them had 'gone astray'

What's your opinion?

mo786uk

There is no law that says they have to - and if they want to be that stupid about it then they will bear the risks of losses.

If they are opening credit accounts they shoudl have at least does a credit check.

arcon5

Why would a scammer order goods in your name and have them delivered to your address?

Does something want to harm you in any way because I can't understand what the scammer gets out of this.......

forgotmyname

Scammer is probably a local who may know your routine and hopes the delivery arrives when your out.

Parcel left on the doorstep or something. Littlewoods delivery left a parcel in our meter box once. When i
got home and looked no parcel. Silly thing to do, Was a dody area and the box is clearly visible from half
the street and every house had the same box with the same key.

Pipkins

I couldn't see the point either but according to the fraud dept at the company and the Police.... Once the first (small) order has been delivered normally they they place a more valuable order for delivery to another address (or they call courier and ask for it to be diverted when they know it is on the way). An alternative (not in this case) is that the initial order arrives and the scammer turns up at the door saying he was expecting a delivery and has been told it was delivered to you by mistake...

Both the Police and mail order company knew needed little explanation when I explained the first parcel. Sounds like it is a common scam.

I'm mighty annoyed that a major company would set up a credit account and ship goods in my name using only publicly available data.

And, of course, the courier turned up to take the parcel back at 6:30 after my wife waited in all day.

Zandoni

Very.co.uk by any chance

forgotmyname

Did you make sure the courier was the correct one? Just sprang to mind courier collected. Could be the person
that placed the original order?

Pipkins

@forgotmyname -- I was warned by the mail order company to verify the courier as this does happen. The courier that turned up happened to be the same one that delivered the parcel in the first place.