BT removing line ?

bigmickec1

Hi
My elderly neighbour, ( no broadband- phone only ) has received a letter purporting to be from BT saying that another BT customer has requested her phone line and number, and that if she doesn't respond they will cancel her service. This letter contains her details (a/c no. etc ) , but there is no contact or email address shown.

The only contact given is 0800 111 4163. When she phoned this number it was answered with "Hello" not "BT", and they would not give her their address. She was given the name of the person requesting her line (This must be against Data Protection laws) I've looked on-line and many, many other people have received this message by post, SMS and landline.

To me, this has all the signs of a scam, although I can't see how this would work.

Has anyone else on MSE received this ?

Mick

earthstorm

Has she or you contacted BT about this, but yes its a scam as no one else can request or be given your number as long as its registered to you.

http://whocallsme.com/Phone-Number.aspx/08001114163

http://www.411phonesearch.co.uk/08001114163-phone-number

My aunty got one of these letter 2 weeks ago, found it strange that BT was saying someone wanted her phone number and if she did not respond they would cancel her services considering she cancelled her BT line 10 years ago and no longer has a landline.

Personally i think its a money scam that will go like this.

once you call and get into a conversation they will say "We will let you keep your number if you pay ££ by bank transfer."

macman

If it is a scam, the fact that they have her a/c number is of concern.
She should call BT and inform them to put a note on her account to the effect that she does not wish to cancel her BT contract.

iniltous

If someone asks for service at a property thats already got service, a letter is sent out in case it's a company 'slamming' the line, or a genuine mix up of addresses, seems unlikely to be a scam if it's a 0800 number...if this is ignored then the line may move from one provider to another, or be stopped in one persons name and started in someone else's ...the letter gives the current 'owner' of the line the chance to stop the transfer taking place, in the OP's case, did anyone call from another phone company recently offering a'better deal', because quite often even if you say no, they slam you onto their service regardless

Buzby

It is a genuine BT number - but when the letter arrives out the blue it most likely means someone, somewhere has screwed up. You need to call and stop the change as a matter of urgency.