Currys Carphone Warehouse Mobile Scam – Cold Calling Fraud
Mobile Contract Scam – Currys Carphone Warehouse
We’ve been hearing from an increasing number of people being cold called by fraudsters offering cheap mobile phone deals and claiming to be calling from Carphone Warehouse / Currys PC World as well as other real and fake company names including Fone City, Fonehouse Group, Mobile Hub Ltd, Mobiles.co.uk, Mobile Phone Citi, SmartPhoneLimited and even ourselves; PhonesLTD.co.uk.
They usually have an Indian accent and if you show any sort of interest they continue to call you persistently.
They regularly change the numbers they are calling from, they use ‘spoofed’ numbers to call through the internet so they don’t reveal their exact location, if you’ve asked them to email you their quoted offer please look closely at the sender’s address.
The names they use include: Aden, Eaton, Rehman, Mark Daniel, Dennis, Mary Parker, John Mccurdy, Mark Adams, Sam Khan, Mike Brown, Roman Kai, Mohammed Ansari, Ronnie, Daniel, Stephen, Kyle, Addie, Zack, John Matthew, Adam Adrian, Shaun, David, Mr. Sam, Mr. A. Aly, Scott Gibson, Kenneth, Jay, Bilal, Sophia, Sarah Wilson, Ali, Mr Balwinder, Mr. Khan and Ahmed.
RED FLAGS
The fake emails they send include words that don’t exist, like ‘up-gradation’ and plan allocations like unlimited international minutes which are not standard in network plans.
They also pretend to offer the first 3 months free, which is not offered by any UK network.
The email will also show many network logos leading you to assume that they offer deals on all UK networks, neither Currys PC World or Carphone Warehouse offer contract phone deals outside of Vodafone and iD Mobile.
They’ll also pretend to offer to pay off your existing contract which is only offered on business contracts, oh and they use very questionable English in their emails.
Please look out for emails sent from:
sales@mail-curryspcworld.com
sales@
promotions@phonesltd.shop
sales@promotionphonesltd.co.
promotions.phonesltd.co.uk@yandex.com
promotions@currys-mobileworld.co.uk
promotions@currysplc.store
sales@currysmobileworld.co
info@deals-phonesltd.co.uk
info@currysales.co.uk
info@curryspcworlds.co.uk
promotions@currysmobile.net
promotion@carphonemobiles.com
info@carphoneswareshouse.com
mobilespromotions@carsphonewarehouse.com
info@carphonewarehouses.net
info@foonehouse.co.uk
promotion@sales-carphonewarehouse.com
info@carphonewarehouseas.com
info@carphoneswareshouse.com
info@fonehousemobility.co.uk
sales@carphonewarehousepromotion.co
promotions@carphoneswarehouseoffers.co.uk
sales@phoneslimted.co.uk
promotions@carphonewarehouse.expert
sales@carphonwarehouse.co
mail@carphone-warehouse-promotion.co.uk
support@fonehousegroup.co.uk
sales@carphoneware-house.com
sales@thecarphone-warehouse.com
sales@carphonewarehouseofficial.co.uk
promotion@carphonewarehouse.center
promotions@mobilephoneciti.co.uk
sales@carphone-warehouses.co.uk
sales@carphonewarehousedeal.co.uk
promotion@carphonewarehouse.center
sales@carphonewarehouseoffer.
sales@carphoneswarehousepromotion.co.uk
info@fonehousesale.co.uk
sales@thecarphone-warehouse.com
info@carphoneswarehouses.com
promotion@carphonewarehousemobility.com
josephinemay92@outlook.com
mobilehubltd.uk@yandex.com
info@deals-phoneltd.co.uk
promotions@carphonewarehouses.info
info@carphoneswareshouse.co.uk
sales@carphonewarehouseonline.com
infos@carphonewarehousepromotions.co.uk
info@carphonwarehouse.co.uk
info@fonehousegroup.co.uk
sales@carphonewarehouses.uk
sales@carphonewarehousepromos.co.uk
info@mobiles-promotion.co.uk
promos@fonehousegroup.co.uk
support@fonehousegroup.co.uk
eroobasil@gmail.com
promotions.carphonewarehouse@gmail.com
promotions@carphonewarehouse.expert
info@mobilescarphonewarehouse.com
info@carphoneswareshouse.com
carephoneswarehouses.com
sales@carphoneware-house.com
mobilespromotions@carsphonewarehouse.com
info@londonmobilephonelimited.co.uk
fonehousegroup.co.uk
Cold Call Mobile Contract Fraud
This Currys and Carphone Warehouse scam has been ongoing for the past three years from fraudsters claiming to work for different fictitious companies called Mobile Limited and Fone Warehouse. (Also passing themselves off as mobiles.co.uk owned by Currys / Carphone as well as Fonehouse, Mobile Hub Ltd, FoneCity).
They also sometimes claim to work for us at PhonesLTD.co.uk, however we are a price comparison website and only help you compare the cheapest deals, we don’t actually take or fulfil any orders ourselves and certainly do not cold call anyone.
The fraudsters offer temptingly cheap mobile packages for the latest iPhone and Samsung smartphones as well as SIM Only deals, even claiming you can order mid-contract and forget about paying for the rest of your existing contract!
What’s the scam?
Once the fraudsters have gained personal and banking details, they use them to order mobile contracts but not for the phone or SIM card you’ve asked for.
Using the victims details, they place orders directly with the networks like O2 and Vodafone and any upfront cost is taken by the network … usually up to £50.
Phones are delivered to the victims’ house and the fraudsters call and email pretending they’ve made a mistake and it’s someone else’s order.
They convince the victims to send the phones via their local post office (or courier collection) to addresses in the Bolton, Preston, Birmingham, Sheffield and Coventry as well as other areas.
The fraudsters then wait at those properties for the deliveries and steal the phones!
This leaves the victims with multiple, expensive contracts (usually £80+ a month!) and no phones to send back to where they were actually ordered from to cancel the contracts.
What to do if you are a victim?
Firstly, cancel your bank card that you gave to the fraudsters immediately and ask for a new one, you can call the number on the back of your card.
If you’ve realised you’ve been scammed before the phone is delivered, we recommend not accepting the delivery so you are not liable. Tell the courier it’s fraud and the phone will be automatically returned to wherever it’s been order and cancelled.
If you have accepted the delivery and realised it’s the wrong phone you’ll then need to try and work out where the phone was actually ordered from in your name, hopefully you will have spotted a SIM card from a network or see which company has taken the upfront cost on your bank statement.
Call the network and explain what’s happened and that you need to cancel the contract(s).
In some rare cases, we’ve heard that the networks have been unhelpful, if this happens please report the crime to the police and they’ll give you a crime reference number that proves you are a victim of crime, the network will then cancel your contract(s).
Even if the networks cancel the contract without a crime reference number, please report what’s happened to the police and ActionFraud … the more people that report, the more information the police have and hopefully the quicker the fraudsters will be stopped!
We’d like to thank those that have been in contact to inform us of this scam, for supplying the numbers and addresses used and sending us copies of the emails they’ve received from the fraudsters.
Please DO NOT give out your personal and/or banking details over the phone.
If you have been a victim of this scam and need any help, please feel free to email us: info@phonesltd.co.uk or call us on: 01473 231323 … This is our ONLY number and we do not make any outbound calls.
We are a price comparison website helping you compare the cheapest UK deals from all of the retailers, we don’t take any details to use our service, customers order securely with the retailer offering the lowest UK price for their chosen phone and plan.
We hope this helps, below are addresses, numbers and copies of the emails kindly sent to us by victims…
Addresses used by the scammers:
77 Dens Road, Dundee. DD3 7HY
139, Whitechurch Road Manchester M20 1FY
Collection Warehouse, 364 Blackburn Road, Bolton, Greater Manchester. BL1 8NE
CPW, 122 College Road, Rotherham. S60 1JF
C.P.W Dispatch, 100 Moorbottom Rd, Thornton Lodge, Huddersfield HD1 3JL
Mr. M. A. 69 Leslie Grove, Croydon. CR0 6TJ.
4 Castleford Grove, Blackford Road, Birmingham. B11 3SJ
Adam Oliver, 66 Durham Road, Birmingham. B11 4LQ
Mr. Khan, 158 Blackburn Road, Great Harwood, Blackburn. BB6 7DZ
89 City Road, Birmingham, West Midlands. B16 0NN
3A Oakham Road, Dudley, West Midlands. DY2 7TA
10 Anchor Close, Barking. IG11 0GF
223B Barking Road. London. E6 1LB
186 Rugby Road, Dagenham, Essex. RM9 4AP
41 Villa Road, Coventry. CV6 3DB
14 Pennant Court, Penn Road, Wolverhampton. WV3 0DT
14 Pritchard Street. Burnley. BB11 4JY
Replacement Department, Ground Floor Office, Heaton House, 175 Heaton Lane, Stockport, Greater Manchester. SK4 1AQ
122 College Rd, Rotherham. S60 1JF
Carphone Warehouse, Replacement department, Harrison gael, 51 Claremont Road. CV31 3EH
25 Mentor Street, Manchester. M130QW
Adam Adrian, 5 Windermere Street, Leicester. LE2 7GU
2 Crosslands Ave, Hounslow, Southall. UB2 5RB
Mr Khan, 122 College Road, Rotherham. S60 IJF
80 Moorside Road, Urmston. M41 5RE
A. Aly, 28 Barn Hill Road, Wembley. HA9 9DE
4 Goodliffe St, Nottingham. NG7 6FZ
9 Langley Road, Birmingham. B10 0TN
44 Southchurch Road, London. E6 6DZ
73 Wellesley Road, Oldbury. B68 8SA
245A Plashet Rd, Forest Gate, London. E13 0QU
Mr. Khan, 21 Hollinbank Lane, Heckmondwike. WF16 9NF
178a Alcester Road, Moseley, Birmingham. B13 8HJ
61 Purcell Road, Coventry. CV6 7jy
Mr Khan, 81 Glencoe Road, Sheffield. S2 2SQ
4 Goodliffe St, Nottingham. NG7 6FZ
Replacement Department, 217 Grange Road, Bermondsey, London. SE25 6TG
178a Alcester Rd, Moseley. B13 8HJ
34 Baxter Avenue, Kidderminster. DY10 2EU
102 Bolton’s Lane, Harlngton, Hayes. UB3 5BH
Office 1 Collection Warehouse, First Floor Studio, Clyde Mill, Stewart Street, Bolton. BL1 3PA
131 Shireland Rd, Warley, Smethwick. B66 4RA
90 Poppleton Cl, Coventry. CV1 3BF
77 Westbury Road, Birmingham. B17 8HY
Office 1, Haslam House, 105 Chorley Old Road, Bolton. BL1 3AS
78A St. Georges Road, BOLTON. BL1 2DD
Warehouse M-Direct, 45 Fordell Way, INVERKEITHING. KY11 1PN
92 James Street, Preston. PR1 4JX
44-46 Old Bolton Road, BOLTON. BL1 6PU
39 Starley Road, Coventry. CV1 3JU
Example of text message sent for return address
Example of emails sent from the fraudsters
Further resources about the Currys PC World and Carphone Warehouse scam:
https://www.which.co.uk/news/article/scam-carphone-warehouse-call-exposed-akyW76M2b8pW
https://community.ee.co.uk/t5/Security/Phone-call-from-Carphone-Warehouse/td-p/853443
