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OVO trying to take over my energy supply I did not authorise this?

M
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OVO are trying to take over my energy supply, I have never been in contact with them, nor authorised this, at present I am an EDF Customer, and I have unfortunately been a victim of Identity fraud this month.  However, I have put a password on all credit accounts, notified CIFAS, the police and action fraud.

The financial ombudsman are also taking on my case, your urgent attention / response would be really appreciated.

I have also this evening emailed OVO complaints email, as this only came to my attention today by post from my current supplier.

Many thanks.

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Best answer by Blastoise186 30 April 2024, 18:53

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Blastoise186
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Hi @MJB1995 ,

I’m sorry to hear about this.

In this case, please talk to EDF to activate the Erroneous Transfer process which will undo this action and return your account back to EDF. The steps are basically the same as the articles I’m about to give you - just make sure to substitute the OVO references for EDF ones. If both suppliers agree it’s an ET case, they’ll switch you back. Sorting this out may take up to 12 weeks though.

https://www.ovoenergy.com/help/article/erroneous-transfers

I will also inform the Forum Moderators immediately.

Securing energy by zapping security bugs... For that is The Blastoise Way!
M
Rank

Thank you for responding, but I have asked EDF to block it, or just come and cut it off, not paying a penny to anyone that I did not authorise to take this over, prepared to go all the way and to court if necessary.

 

Many thanks.

Blastoise186
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OVO has no way of knowing in advance that a switch attempt is fraudulent - it’s a very difficult thing for Energy Suppliers to detect and block reliably.

Blocking the switch and/or using the ET Process is the right way to go. If you’re fast enough, the switch attempt will fail and you’ll stay where you are. Otherwise, the ET Process will be able to put things back how they were and put you back in control. You’ll still need to pay EDF in the meantime though.

However, the rules of the Ombudsman and the Courts are clear. You CANNOT use them until you have given the Respondent a reasonable chance to resolve the dispute via the normal routes first. If you bypass the proper process and go direct to the Ombudsman, Courts or legal action, the case may end up being thrown out with the recommendation you start again and go back to step 1. It really isn’t necessary anyway, especially if the resolutions I’ve recommended fix things up - and 99% of the time, they do. Likewise, if the resolution works and everyone is happy, the matter is considered closed and realistically can’t go much further.

You’ve also asked the wrong Ombudsman if you used the Financial Ombudsman against OVO - they have no jurisdiction over this matter. It’s the Energy Ombudsman that OVO falls under, not the Financial Ombudsman. Using the wrong one results in a 100% chance of the case being rejected and thrown out.

Securing energy by zapping security bugs... For that is The Blastoise Way!
M
Rank

Thanks Blastoise186, I did realise it was the Energy Ombudsman that I would need to contact, but the issue is that when you are a victim of identity fraud, if the Energy Companies allow fraudsters to change your Energy Supply, they then will have access to a utility bill in your name and using your address. I have made in excess of 90 plus phone calls over the last few weeks to every organisation and credit reference agency (luckily I was already a member of one), so was alerted immediately. I have tonight emailed my existing supplier, OVO Energy Complaints and the Ombudsman the same email with the Action Fraud UK Reference Number.

 

My present supplier has also raised an objection with OVO Energy. I have evidence to support my claim with action Fraud UK, all 3 credit reference agencies, and CIFAS victim impersonation markers on my credit files, and a very good and consistent credit score of over 20 years, the ojection has been raised as 1) I did not authorise the account (nor had any contact with OVO prior to this evening via email to alert them of this and 2) if the transfer goes ahead they are just giving carte blanche to the id theft, and finally 3) it is within the 14 days of the letter from my present supplier.

 

In summary if my present supplier, OVO energy and OFGEM cannot act quickly when they have been notified of the present circumstances, it does not say very much about the industry.

 

 

Blastoise186
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No worries. As it happens, I’m one of the most trusted Forum Volunteers here and my name is well known within OVO. In return, OVO has taught me a LOT about how to help solve tons of issues. Once I bite, I don’t let go until I’m satisfied it’s being handled - all the Forum Volunteers share the same stance as me.

I can confirm that the alert regarding this thread has been sent to all Forum Moderators. I’m afraid you won’t be able to see it because of how I send them, but it does light up their dashboards in a way they can’t miss. It looks like you accidentally posted this as an Idea, but don’t panic as I’ve arranged for that to get fixed as well. This thread will be converted to the right type (probably Question) and moved to the right place, on the house.

The snag is that many energy supply switches are pretty heavily automated these days - there’s rarely a human in the loop regardless of who the switch is between. OVO and any other supplier can only go off of what they get told via the switch request tool, so they usually don’t know that you didn’t authorise it - the best they can do is have the losing supplier send the alert about a pending switch attempt and the gaining supplier also send said alert. Faster Switching also makes it 5 days now, not 14 so that just makes things more complicated - but you still get the 14-day cooling off period.

Securing energy by zapping security bugs... For that is The Blastoise Way!
M
Rank

Thanks for your quick response, totally exhausted by all of this. The change was requested on 20th April 2022, received letter today, so within 14 days cooling off period - even though I did not request it. I did try to set it up as a question, but was unable to select the topic, so posted it as an idea. I really can’t thank you enough, but I was under the impression that having set protective passwords with all 3 credit reference agencies and CIFAS protective markers, Energy Companies would have to do a credit search.

 

Once again, thanks for your prompt action, it is so appreciated!

Shads_OVO
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Hi @MJB1995, 

 

I’m really sorry to hear that you’ve experienced this. 

 

I’m going to have our Forum_Support team reach out to you so they can help you further with this. Look out for a private message here soon: https://forum.ovoenergy.com/inbox/overview.

M
Rank

Goes from bad to worse, spoke to customer service twice today, and told them I had not authorised the transfer, they then send me an email asking me to confirm my new email address, just cancel this fraudulent account OVO simple,

Blastoise186
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The best way to cancel it in this situation is via either:

  • A switch objection raised by EDF
  • The Erroneous Transfer process

Either of those will - when performed correctly - cancel, terminate and permanently revoke fraudulent contracts and any linked accounts. It’s the safest method for you and it’s the safest method for OVO.

Did Forum_Support reach out yet? They can assist with both of these.

Securing energy by zapping security bugs... For that is The Blastoise Way!
M
Rank

Hi Blastoise186, Forum Support has reached out and given me a reference number, at time of writing this I am on the phone with Quentin of Customer Services, quoted the reference number given by forum support, and I have asked Quentin to close the account, and confirm to me via email that the transfer will not take place.  Quentin has confirmed it is an Erroneous Transfer, but does not know how it has happened, however the timing could not have been worse given what I have been through this past month with ID Fraud. Spoke to Nathan at EDF this morning, and he confirmed they have raised an objection. I have reported this to Action Fraud UK this morning as I thought is was another attempt to misuse my identity again, as soon as OVAL confirm to me in writing that this will not go ahead, and confirm how this came about, I can then update Action Fraud UK accordingly.

 

Many thanks.

Blastoise186
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Thanks for the update. Forum_Support are available to help keep track so if you need them to step in again, simply reply back to the existing PM thread and they’ll take another look. You can also continue talking to the main Support Team just like you did with Quentin - either way, the case notes will be updated to keep everyone on the same page.

The only thing to know is that it’s a small team so I can’t guarantee they’ll be able to reply immediately.

Out of everyone giving you advice so far, I’m the only one who can’t access internal stuff so I can only give advice here in the way I’ve done so far.

The Erroneous Transfer process will nuke the account. If the switch hasn’t happened yet, it may be rapidly shut down and could be fixed up in a few days. Otherwise, it may take up to three months to fully resolve.

Based on what you’re saying, I think it’s possibly going down the rapid option of just nuking the switch attempt entirely. However, you’ll need to ask OVO and EDF to both confirm as I’m unable to be 100% certain.

Securing energy by zapping security bugs... For that is The Blastoise Way!
M
Rank

Thanks again, I was on hold with Quentin been on the phone for half an hour, but he has just disappeared, just need OVO to confirm in writing as aforementioned, nightmare - will keep you updated, it appears that I get far more help from the Forum Support and yourself, really grateful.

Many thanks.

M
Rank

Think Quentin must have gone for lunch…… was on hold as he was sending an email to confirm the account would be closed down, but I have not received it, just hope Forum Support will send this, can’t be on hold any longer.

Many thanks.

M
Rank

I never did hear back from Quentin and no email from OVO as promised by him, just spoke to the Energy Ombudsman, and they stated that as I did not authorise this it will be classed as an Erroneous Transfer even if a) it is an industry error or b) opened by a fraudster trying to get utility bills using my ID Therefore, OVO I did not authorise this, you have the time to sort this out quickly and make good.

M
Rank

After another half an hour call this afternoon, with Dale who confirmed it was cancelled by EDF on the national database on 30/04/24, Dale confirmed he would email tomorrow that the OVO account has been closed.  To the Moderators - please do not close my complaints case until I confirm that I have received correspondence from yourselves that the account has been closed.

 

Many thanks.

ChristopherS_OVO
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Hey @MJB1995,

 

I’m glad to hear that Dale confirmed that the switch was cancelled. 

 

We, as moderators, don’t work on complaint cases, so we won’t act on them. You would have an assigned case handler in charge of closing them when the issues have been resolved. If you need to speak with them directly, they can be reached on 0330 102 7400 (Monday to Friday 8:30am to 5:30pm.

 

I hope things get sorted for you soon. I can’t imagine how stressful it would be to be a victim of identity theft.

 

M
Rank

Hi ChristopherS, I am so grateful to all the team at OVO: Dale, Shads and Kirsty who I spoke to in complaints, and also a thanks to you and Blastoise186, amazing service, can’t thank you guys enough for  helping me out with this. Outstanding support.

 

Many thanks!

ChristopherS_OVO
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Userlevel 4
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Hey @MJB1995, 

 

I will make sure to pass your thanks on to Dale and Kirsty, I work with Shads and I passed it on to her last night! 

 

Our Forum is for both OVO customers and those with other suppliers. We use it to help people and de-mystify the world of green technology and energy. You’re welcome to keep your account and look around to see if anything could benefit you. We have amazing volunteers who help us on the Forum; you’ve already met the incredible @Blastoise186, who volunteers their time to help others.

 

Happy to hear that everything is settled here though 🙂

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