This month a £5 DD payment has been taken from my bank by BT Group PLC.

I have not set up a Direct Debit with them and have not ordered anything from them.

1) How do I stop this?
2) Is this legal?

Get on the phone to your bank, could be someone trying an identity theft scam.

BT deny all knowledge.

On to the bank now

Could be as Ming says, first step in most bank fraud is to try and buy phone credit. Don’t BT now own one of the mobile networks again? In which case the banking might be from BT, but a BT landline/broadband call centre wouldn’t’ have anything to do with it.

Steal details
Buy credit
Phone premium rate number (which you own)

et voila, fraud and laundered money in 3 easy steps.

I can see the fraud, but not the money laundering?

BT bought EE.

£5 is an odd amount for anything BT, my SIM is £5 a month but that’s added to my overall bill which isn’t, I wish it was but no where close.

Sounds more scammy than anything. Bank should be able to track down source and see if it’s a mistake or a scam.

I can see the fraud, but not the money laundering?

The profits from the telephone line – also owned by scammers.

Can you remember your telephone security number?

No, I didn’t know I had one.

You would have set it up when you set up the account.

In 1983?

Oh, would you like to set one up?

No thanks.

Oh, you have to set one up or I can’t talk to you*.

Can your supervisor talk to me?

Yes…
…but only if you give me your telephone security number.

I think I had better set up a telephone security number number please. I want it to be 123456

You cannot tell me your security number, it is against the rules

Don’t worry, I don’t have a telephone security number yet

Okay – but don’t use that number

Why not? I can remember that number

You have told me that number, use another one.

What number would you suggest – oh and can I have your name so I can ask you to remind me next time I ring in?

*It was actually at this point I set up the security number but I am sure the rest would have followed if I hadn’t

IHN – Member
I can see the fraud, but not the money laundering?

Dirty money buys phone credit on random PAYG mobile phone, phone credit is used to call premium phone number owned by thief. Dirty money gets ‘cleaned’ whilst it goes through the mobile phone provider and phone line provider’s accounts.

Edit: too slow

After getting a new telephone security number the person was very helpful.

DD Cancelled
Refund due within 24 hours subject to further investigation
Have a nice day

Lucky it was only a fiver. They added £150 to my bill when I phoned them and told them a lightning strike had killed the internet connection in the street.
I know I tell this tale a lot, but it still amazes me. I imagine all the folk who did the same who don’t complain and BT just blatantly steal from them.

Can you remember your telephone security number?

No, I didn’t know I had one.

You would have set it up when you set up the account.

(etc)

Commiserations. Mrs_OAB just spent two hours on phone and in branch with similar. To paraphrase:
‘Can I open an account for my son?’
‘No, you need the account opening person, and he only comes in once a week, and has one slot after school per week, we are fully booked until Christmas’

and

‘I want to close my child trust fund account and transfer the money’
‘You need to come to a branch’
‘But you are in London and I am in Scotland’
‘Yes, you need to come to a branch’

and

Can I make a payment into this junior savings ISA from a savings account?
‘You need a form, I will post you one, send it back, then give it a week, then call us’

and

Sorry, we lost that application form, mis-processed the second and lost half of the third’

Matt. I think the conversation that follows is “I would like to close all my accounts with you, expect to hear from my new bank in due course”.

That is three separate banks, two we are trying to close accounts with! They DGAFT….

You have just reminded me of my conversation with Lloyd’s bank trying to close my wife’s long defunct business account.

She will have to come into the branch to sign the paperwork>

can’t you just send it to us? >

No she needs to see the business manager>

OK its going to be an effort, is the branch wheelchair accessible>

No I’m sorry its on the first floor with no lift>

Is there a ground floor room she could see the business manager in>

No the business unit is on the first floor>

Well then HTF is she going to see the business manager then?>

Ummm I don’t know>

This is getting silly the reason she no longer has a business is due to her MS being much worse and in effect you are saying anyone who cant manage stairs better not have a need to see the business manager>
Well that’s how it is I’m afraid>

I tell you what leave it with me>

I emailed the head of Lloyds customer complaints and got a really bland reply saying there might have been a confusion & the forms arrived 2 days later in the post

Bank branches just seemed to be staffed by monkeys now who can’t think for themselves. Gone are the days of a real bank manager. You wonder why for some things you still have to go in and chat with someone who just presses buttons and tells you “computer says no”.

Pretty simple this one- raise direct debit indemnity claim, instant refund. BT may deny knowledge but the dd originator number doesn’t lie, there’s no way to spoof DD source so your bank can confirm that. But it’s still at heart a human system and they may have simply screwed up bank details and a payment due from someone else has come from you; or it might be a crude fraud, all you need to set up a DD is sort code and account number. Which is why the system’s so weighted in your favour for refunds.

The one that makes me laugh is when our energy supplier phones us up

” are you Mr again?”

“yes”

“Can yo confirm your security questions”

” No – as I have explained to you before. I do not give this information to someone who phones me up, you could be anyone. Can you prove who you are?”

” but if you don’t confirm your identity we can’t discuss your account”

” I am Mr Again”

“can you confirm your mothers maiden name”

” basic security means I will only do this when I initiate the phone call”

” then we can’t discuss your account”

” You phoned me, you want to speak to me, tell me what its about”

” I can’t do that unless you confirm your identity”

“bye then”

Do you have a btinternet email address? By have just started charging a five a month for these if you don’t have their broadband

No BT email I am aware of, want or use