Fraud Protection

[Day1]

Recently I got a bill from Telus for an account with my name on it that I did not open. The phone number was different but my name and address. I was able to quickly contact Telus to notify them of the error.  

If I had not received the 'mailed' bill, I would never have known that this had happened. 

With all the fraud and scams going around it would be nice if Telus sent a confirmation letter and or email to the supposedly new customer / account to acknowledge  and confirm set up etc. 

Even with the swap of the memory card, there should should be a delay until the customer is reached by mail and or email confirming the changes. Even with spoofing there are so many other ways that things get compromised.

Telus should have a 2 step confirmation system to validate any major changes on a Customer's account. 

[NFtoBC]

I’ve always received email confirmation of changes to my account, through my telus email (Internetaccountnumber@telus.net).

I also review the monthly bill, which allows me to see changes.

[Day1]

I too review my emails from Telus. However this was a 'mailed' bill to me. Had I not recieved a hard copy through regular mail I would never had known a new account was opened under my name with a different number that I had never authorized. So ... I was getting TWO BILLS! One through email and one through regular email. If Telus had sent me a hard copy confirmation letter through regular mail to my mailing address, asking me to confirm details on the NEW account it would have been caught right away. Same as switching memory cards. There should be a 2 step process to confirm that the Customer has actually asked for the change. Emails and texts can easily be compromised.

[xray]

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@Day1 wrote:

Recently I got a bill from Telus for an account with my name on it that I did not open. The phone number was different but my name and address. I was able to quickly contact Telus to notify them of the error.  

If I had not received the 'mailed' bill, I would never have known that this had happened. 

With all the fraud and scams going around it would be nice if Telus sent a confirmation letter and or email to the supposedly new customer / account to acknowledge  and confirm set up etc. 

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When you called TELUS to get it corrrected did they say it was fraud or was it a glitch in the their billing system? I haven't opened a new account in a very long time so I don't know what the current process is but I thought there was already a process for verifying the billing information.

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@Day1 wrote:

Even with the swap of the memory card, there should should be a delay until the customer is reached by mail and or email confirming the changes.

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Are you referring to a SIM swap? A while back I called TELUS and asked them to put a note in my account to confirm any number ports and SIM swaps by calling me on on my home phone. I was also told by the customer service agent that has recently beefed up their verification process but he declined to provide any details. The less the public (scammers) know about the process the harder it is for them to bypass them.

[nonsense]

FRAUD

I got a call yesterday from "TELUS" 1-877-264-5020 and a "rep" asked if I had any interruptions to my services lately and wondered if I would like sign up for home bundle package with a discount/fee reduction due to the current world situation (Covid19).  I said no.  He then asked what carrier I was with for my phone.  

I don't know what he could do with my phone carrier information, but I do suspect that had I said "yes" he would have proceeded to ask for my account info, name and address etc.  

Further, I can see how this may get a few people because of the following:

1.  The display on my phone changed once answered to "TELUS", before answering it was the toll free number 1-877-264-5020;

2.  The guy on the phone was super polite and sounded nice and caring

3.  He just sounded legit.

I have looked around on other forums, on Telus and Bell websites, Canadian Anti-Fraud Center and it seems like a standard fraud call to get your information from you.  BE CAREFUL OUT THERE!

I also found this on the Bell Website:

Social Engineering:

A social engineering scam gets people to perform specific actions or divulge confidential information through psychological manipulation.  It can be done on the internet, over the phone or in person.  Once the scammer obtained the desired information, it can be used for identity theft, industrial espionage and other criminal activities, or to simply disrupt the normal course of business.

•  A caller may try to sell new rate plans (which are phony) ask you to complete a survey, promise you some kind of incentive, or they may tell you that they are updating your account and want to confirm your details.
• A pre-recorded message promises you travel rewards or a $100 credit on your next bill and directs you to a fake site that “looks” legitimate or to a 1-800 number.

The goal is to trick you into releasing passwords, PINs, banking or credit card information which can be used for fraud. 

[Playaprez]

If someone has your name, drivers licence number, credit card information and they setup service at another location, using a different billing address and email. Telus wouldn’t have the ability to notify you of that connection, cause 1) you (fraudster”) already gave them your mail and email addresses. 2) the point of your personal information is to prevent fraud. 

Whomever has your personal information is now you. Same as whomever has your car keys can drive your car. You can always do the legwork to get your car back, but it’s better not to lose it.

Sounds like in your case sales agent put through the order, either due to a misunderstanding or just to increase their sales quota, there was no fraud so don’t bother with the legwork.

Protecting yourself from fraud requires a baked in reality, hands on approach. Telus has a legal team that verifies their processes comply with the Privacy & Consumer Protection Acts. 

[Day1]

Can Telus not call the person directly and speak to them to get verification that you are who you are?

Maybe Telus needs verification question like ... which hospital were you born in... pet's name etc.

.. Ask leading questions to verify your identity and confirm it is you that has opened another account?

[Day1]

Thank you .