Unauthorised transfer of phone or internet services

When services are transferred without your knowledge or agreement

Be careful when you get a phone call from someone who says they are connected to your service provider or asks about your phone or internet services. They may be trying to get information from you so they can transfer your service without your agreement. It might also be a scam.

Signs that you may have been transferred to another service are:

• you suddenly receive a bill from a new company that you didn’t sign up to
• your services are disconnected or suspended for no reason.

You should ring your service provider quickly and ask to be transferred back. You should also protect your personal information.

Some of the problems that result from an unauthorised transfer include:

• early termination fees from your original provider
• monthly fees for services you didn’t consent to purchasing
• costs associated with reconnecting with your original provider
• loss of discounts associated with bundled services
• changes to your service quality, such as less coverage, or changes to the service you are paying for.

Protecting your personal information

Never give your personal information to someone who calls you out of the blue.

If you want to transfer your phone or internet services, make sure you contact the service by finding the business’ phone number independently. If you’re not comfortable with a conversation or aren’t sure who you’re dealing with, simply hang up the phone.

If a caller asks for your birth date or address, they might be trying to trick you into entering into a contract, or they may be a scammer. If that happens, hang up.

Watch out for callers who say:

• “I’m calling because you’re entitled to a discount”
• “You are entitled to this benefit because you’re with [existing phone company]”
• “We are an authorised reseller of [major phone company]”
• “We use the same infrastructure as [major phone company]”
• “There won’t be any physical changes to your phone line”
• “We are offering this benefit to all [major phone company] customers in your area”
• “You’re not signing up for anything today. We’re just registering you for a discount”
• “There is a problem with your phone or internet service”.

Mobile phone service scams

Your mobile phone has lots of information about you, including your banking information.

Scammers transfer mobile services from one provider to another to steal your identity and your money. This is called mobile porting fraud.

Scammers may also contact your existing provider and ask to swap the sim card so they can take over your service and steal your money. This is called sim swap fraud.

Your service provider must follow rules to protect you from scammers. They must verify your identity before transferring your phone, mobile or internet service.

Cooling off period for transfers

Take your time and think carefully about any offer from a telemarketer before giving any personal information or agreeing to transfer. You can ask for a reference number from the caller. Check the details of the service provider online or find their phone number to ensure the offer is real.

After you have checked that the service provider is genuine, you can ask for a critical information summary, which is a summary of the offer that service providers are required to give you. Take time to read and understand the terms and conditions before you agree to a contract.

You have a 10-day cooling off period if you enter into a contract after a telemarketing call. This means you can cancel the agreement within 10 days if you change your mind.

See Telemarketing and door to door sales for more information.