Well someone has a top of the range iPhone for free

I had two calls last week from people purporting to be from Virgin Mobile. The first caller asked if I'd ordered a mobile phone. I said I hadn't. A day or so later I had another call asking if I received my new mobile phone - I said that since I hadn't ordered one I wasn't expecting one. I thought both calls were scams - I tried to phone back but the numbers were either unobtainable or blocked. That reinforced my suspicion that someone was trying to scam me.

Today I received two letters from Virgin Mobile informing me that two Direct Debits( DD) had been set up. They had my account details but the name on the account was incorrect. I phoned Virgin Mobile querying these two DDs. One was for a top of the range iPhone (a lovely phone by the way) ,the other rental payment. The operative and I went through all the details. Yes, it was my bank account, Yes the delivery address was my home. No I hadn't ordered a phone and hadn't taken delivery of one. Following that longish conversation I was told Virgin Mobile's fraud people would be in touch.

I then logged onto my bank account and there were two new Virgin Mobile direct debits. I phone my bank and after recording my voice for a future voice recognition password I was contacted to a very nice lady who completely understood why I wasn't happy to see two new DDs in my name. Except of course they weren't since the name of the account was wrong. I pointed this out to the young women (I assume she was young) - they shouldn't have accepted the DDs - in the past the bank had knocked cheques back with the wrong name. Anyway, she was more than happy to cancel the DD and I was able to verify that had happened.

In the meantime Virgin Mobile had texted me. What had happen - I explained - they asked for the DD reference numbers which I gave - they then asked me for my name - I politely refused given my recent experience. I was told to phone a number so they could cancel the new phone number attached to this top of the range iPhone (a lovely phone) I hadn't ordered.

The next ten minutes was quite frustrating. A less lovely lady at Virgin Mobile kept insisting I set up the account - that it was my phone and the phone had been delivered to my address. I said it wasn't my account or phone or number (she asked me what it was!) and I hadn't received a very expensive phone. Yes that was my address, and no, I hadn't signed for any phone. Yes the details you have are for my bank account - I repeatedly told her I'd cancelled the DDs.

What was my e-mail address? It was nothing like that used in setting up the purchase. Trying to be helpful I suggested they knew which company was to deliver the phone and what route and who was the delivery person - except as I was saying that I thought given the high value of stuff it would be worthwhile some clever people up ending the delivery system. I thought maybe they could trace the phone but how difficult is that? They'd change the SIM and unblock the phone. But there must be other identifiers in the phones software that can trace them...but these people are clever.

It doesn't solve how they were able to convince Virgin Mobile to set up the DDs in the first place.

I look at my bank accounts almost daily. Some people don't from one month to the next.

Stay vigilant people or unplug yourself from the interconnected world.