*****elent Activity

At the beginning of November this year, i noticed a suspicious debit order on my account from Telkom. So, because I have an account with Telkom, I immediately called them to query this transaction and it turned out that someone had **********ly used my details (Name, ID Number and bank account number) to open up an additional account. I lodged a query with Telkom to suspend the number and investigate since I had not opened up the account and when I requested for further information, it turns out that the device was delivered to an address in JHB Central (a business address) and the account was opened through a telephonic sales call. I also requested for my bank to block the account and reverse the said transaction.

Upon following up with Telkom, they confirmed that the number issued for this account was blocked and all charges would be cancelled.

On further investigation, it turns out that Mobile Talk / Mobile Store (a third party Telkom reseller) made a sales call, outbound as I was told, to a customer who then proceeded to open up the account on my name. All details on the account, with exception of my ID and Bank Account number of course, were *****elent (cellphone number - which goes straight to voice mail when calling, office number (which turns out to be a fax number) and email address). Turns out this account was opened without any contracts / other authorizations done to verify the details.

I contacted Mobile Talk / Mobile Stores (no clarity on which company name they go by) this week after receiving confirmation from Telkom that they were the seller and requested for a recording of the call so I could proceed with a ******** case. I was told to wait a few days. So, I received a call today, without still receiving the telephone recording. Apparently, they need to "follow due process". When I requested to speak to a senior manager (apparently one of them named Genie Reddy) I was told she would contact me, but this has not happened. When requesting to speak with a supervisor or someone in the ***** department or someone in the operations team - no names were provided and the call was not escalated.

I would like to know: 1. How did Mobile Talk / Mobile Stores make an outbound sales call to someone pretending to be me? Where did they get the information from since the cellphone number provided on the account is not mine? 3. Why have I not received a copy of the recording - being told to wait until close of business is not acceptable. What are they trying to hide? 4. Why has Telkom themselves not done the necessary checks to confirm that the correct procedure was followed to open an account to ensure their resellers are compliant with Telkom's own internal procedure. 5.Could this have been an inside job since I am not getting joy with receiving the recording?

I am convinced that this company Mobile Talk / Mobile Stores is a **** and they should no longer be allowed to operate. How Telkom allows this kind of organisation to still be a reseller of their products is confusing to me, especially since there are so many complaints on the internet about them.

Here's to wondering if someone will contact me with the information I requested in order for me to take legal action.

Elin