Orange Fraud

richard64_2

I do not have an Orange contract and never have had one. (In fact, I have never had a mobile contract, I have a PAYG phone).

I have just received a letter supposedly from Orange, it gives an "account number" but no mobile number for that account. It says that I have an "outstanding balance of £56.65" and they have passed this on to a debt collecting agency CapQuest.

1) If this is genuinely from Orange, why didn't they send me a letter before sending the debt to a debt collecting agency? I do not want my credit score tarnished like this.

2) The phone number on the letter for Orange 07970100178 is "temporarily unavailable" so I cannot call it. I have tried the customer service number on their website, but they ask for a phone number and since I am not a customer I cannot give one!

3) Their website has no phone number to report a fraud!

4) thye letter has contact details for CapQuest but I am reluctant to call their number since this letter appears to be a scam.

So what can I do?

grumbler

richard64 wrote: »

I do not have an Orange contract and never have had one. (In fact, I have never had a mobile contract, I have a PAYG phone).

I have just received a letter supposedly from Orange, it gives an "account number" but no mobile number for that account. It says that I have an "outstanding balance of £56.65" and they have passed this on to a debt collecting agency CapQuest.

1) If this is genuinely from Orange, why didn't they send me a letter before sending the debt to a debt collecting agency? I do not want my credit score tarnished like this.

Because they are lazy, disorganised and can't care less. This is a norm for the majority of big mobile providers.

2) The phone number on the letter for Orange 07970100178 is "temporarily unavailable" so I cannot call it. I have tried the customer service number on their website, but they ask for a phone number and since I am not a customer I cannot give one!

3) Their website has no phone number to report a fraud!

Welcome to the new shambolic EE, "the most advanced digital communications company in Britain"

Try sending a e-mail to [EMAIL="complaints@everythingeverywhere.co.uk"]complaints@everythingeverywhere.co.uk[/EMAIL] or to [EMAIL="executive.office@ee.co.uk"]executive.office@ee.co.uk[/EMAIL] or to both.

4) thye letter has contact details for CapQuest but I am reluctant to call their number since this letter appears to be a scam.

So what can I do?

Call the published number: www.capquest.co.uk/contact.html

DCFC79

Checked your credit report ?

richard64_2

I've called the debt collecting agency, CapQuest. They told me that they were sold a debt by Orange with a name and address. The name was the same as mine, but the person was not at the address. It appears they just looked in the phone book for someone with the same name and then demanded the money off them - me!

CapQuest are clearly cowboys.

Worth a complaint to the Financial Conduct Authority?

grumbler

If they admit their error and apologise I don't see much to complain about.

MataNui

Thats pretty scandalous to be fair. At least it wont have caused your credit rating any problems as is Orange who would do that (and since it wasnt you who was their customer you are safe), CapQuest have no authority to put a mark on your credit file.

Capquest are regulated by the FCA and they have acted in an irresponsible manor. I would certainly make a formal complaint to the FCA about them as they do have a legal duty to check any information is accurate. At a basic level its the same as you picking any name out of the phone book and sending them a threatening letter demanding money. I think you might find you could get into a fair bit of bother with the law if you did that.

Herongull

I also think it is appalling.

I would guess there is a 10% to 20% chance of a any random person having had an Orange contract in the last 10 years or so.

So if (say) Fred Smith owes money and they just send the demand randomly to one of the hundreds of Fred Smiths in the UK, there is a 10%-20% chance that the person they choose was once an Orange Customer. This Fred Smith might just pay the debt because of the threatening letter.

Bullying random people into paying for debts they don't owe is terrible.

PS Perhaps they actually send these letters out to hundreds of people with same name and just collect from those who are intimidated into paying (possibly getting paid several times for the same debt).

richard64_2

grumbler wrote: »

If they admit their error and apologise I don't see much to complain about.

Well, it wasn't an apology, it was an explanation.

To be frank, I do not see why someone like me who has paid every bill on time and never gone into debt should be treated as if I am a debtor simply because the debt collection agency has decided that since I have the same name (but live in a *totally* different place) as someone who is.

Perhaps I should sue my parents for being so imprudent as to name me after a debtor? (That's sarcasm, by the way.)

kingrulzuk

richard64 wrote: »

Well, it wasn't an apology, it was an explanation.

To be frank, I do not see why someone like me who has paid every bill on time and never gone into debt should be treated as if I am a debtor simply because the debt collection agency has decided that since I have the same name (but live in a *totally* different place) as someone who is.

Perhaps I should sue my parents for being so imprudent as to name me after a debtor? (That's sarcasm, by the way.)

Aye you do that