‘Identity theft left me vulnerable’

A RETIRED photographer is worried her credit rating will be ruined after she fell victim to identity fraud.

Annette Culshaw, 72, received a letter last month claiming she had bought an Apple iPhone and signed up to a 36-month contract with O2, costing £39.70 a month.

She went straight to her local O2 shop, but says they merely told her she had been a victim of identity fraud, and gave her a number for their fraud team.

Annette, who lives with her husband in Kent, posted about her experience on local website Nextdoor, and discovered that within a fivemile radius of her home ten other people had fallen victim to the same scam.

Annette is now worried she will be hit with further debt demands, which could impact her credit rating.

She says: ‘I feel vulnerable and scared about other things being bought in my name that I won’t know about until I get letters requesting payment.’

After Money Mail intervened, an O2 spokesperson confirmed they had closed the fraudulent account.