Cities- busy outside empty inside

Vodafone Australia’s Credit and Fraud department’s response…

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Here is a link to timeline of events : https://p.bhardwaj.space/2016/03/6532/

And here is a response from Vodafone Australia’s response to my Fraud Escalation Report. They simply dismissed the case in less than 30 minutes

Vodafone Australia Fraud

Complete text below

Hi Prashant

Thank you for your email.

After reading your attached documents regarding your existing Vodafone service, Vodafone can confirm it’s not a case of identity fraud.

From my understanding as this is a sim swap issue on your Vodafone account, the only advice I can provide to you from this department is to ensure that you keep all of your personal information secure and do not release your Vodafone PIN number to anyone. I can also see that you have lodged it with the police for them to investigate.

To do a sim swap on the Vodafone network, the caller/customer must be able to confirm the PIN # on the Vodafone account, if the PIN is not known or the person cannot be identified then no action will be taken. It would appear that in this case regarding your unauthorised sim swap, the caller has had your details previously.

I’m sorry that there isn’t anything else that we are able to assist you with.

Thank you and kind regards,
Georgie
Credit & Fraud Prevention Analyst

According to them, they cannot do anything! I don’t really know if I should be furious, or disappointed… Its a shame I am still in a contract with Vodafone Australia, and cannot throw these phones in the bin!

Next step : The Telephone Ombudsman

Sequence of Events : Vodafone Australia – CBA (Credit Card and Mobile Fraud)

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21-March-2016

7:00 PM -> I started getting calls from a masked number (without a caller ID). I picked up some initially, and thought that someone was just playing a prank  [When I gave this information to Vodafone on the morning of 22-Mar, they asked for “exact” time for at least ten of the calls before they can take any action. I told them that I can give approximates and masked calls do not have a time stamp on my phone history, they simply expressed their inability to do anything]. These calls carried on at regular intervals for almost 4 hours till about 11:00 PM on 21-Mar

11:08 PM -> I get a sms from Vodafone stating “Thanks for your call. Unfortunately your identity couldn’t be confirmed. Please visit a store with your photo ID for verification.” [ I should have called Vodafone customer care at this hour, however I ignored the sms and didn’t]

11:34 PM -> I realised that my data service was not working for the last 30 minutes, and assuming that this was a technical network issue I used my wifi connection to post a message on Vodafone Australia’s Facebook page. I also checked my online Vodafone service dashboard, however there were no flags or indications of any impact on my service. I did not check my voice/text service at this time to check if they were working

22-March-2016

00:11 AM -> I again checked my data services, and realised they were still down. I took a screenshot and posted it on Vodafone Australia’s FB page. My Vodafone App still did not have any flags related to my active services

07:35 AM -> I call Vodafone Customer care to check why my data is still not working. I hadn’t checked my voice or txt services yet, however was able to call Vodafone from my number. The customer care person (using a pseudo name Ivan or something) made me enable disable data, reset network settings, restart the phone etc. He called me back a few minutes later, and transferred my call to the next level. I was told in this call that someone called Vodafone last night, and reported this phone as being stolen which led to my data services being stopped to avoid misuse. I had to authenticate myself, and the services were restored.

I asked two questions to the resolution specialist to which I did not get any satisfactory answers

  1. Why did my services dashboard did not flag say anything when my phone was reported stolen or an email sent to me about this loss of phone or barring of services on my account? – I was told that my feedback was valuable and would be passed on to the “technical team”.
  2. What can I do to report the multiple calls made to me last night? I was told that no case can be opened till I give the “exact” time for at least 10 of these calls. I offered to give estimated time for the calls, however the lady at the other end expressed her inability to do anything about it

12:01 PM -> My services were stopped again, and I was getting a SOS only message on the cell phone. I was in transit when this happened, and it took me about 40 minutes to call Vodafone from a different number. This time customer care told me that someone had collected a SIM, and activated it with my number. I asked how was that possible, and how can a duplicate SIM be given to someone without a valid ID check. Also asked where this duplicate SIM was issued to the customer pretended to be me – No response. I was transferred to the second level, and the supervisor Mac (Real name Mayank) told me that my number was activated on the duplicate SIM because the called completed their three point verification over the phone call, and he knew my Vodafone PIN as well (The only people who know this PIN are either Vodafone or me; my Vodafone pin is not written, never documented, never shared with anyone ever)

I asked when and how a duplicate SIM was issued, however it was not shared with me.

The supervisor changed my pin, and asked me to updated my DL number on Vodafone records as they still showed an ACT DL, and not my current NSW DL.  I was also given instructions to file a Fraud Escalation report and submit it to Vodafone.

12:55 PM -> While I was still on call with Vodafone, I got an SMS from Commonwealth Bank to call them urgently on 1800 023 919 (Group Security number).

About 1:15 PM -> I was at the Vodafone retailer updating my DL details with him, when I got connected with CBA over the phone. I was asked a few questions to authenticate myself, and then about some credit card transactions in Plumpton, NSW. I told the CBA representative, that I was still awaiting these credit cards, and hadn’t received them yet. I was told that there is a possibility that these were stolen from the mailbox or in transit, and were being used fraudulently. He also mentioned that the credit cards were now being blocked, and a report was being initiated on my behalf internally as I had not received these cards yet. Also that the cards would not be sent out in mail now, and I would need to collect them in person at the nearest bank branch

1:45 PM -> I was monitoring my CBA app for the savings account, and in the process also tried to login to Net banking, however my password was not working. I rushed to the closest CBA branch which is about 5 minutes away from my house

1:53 PM -> On my way to the bank, I was online on the CBA app, however was being thrown out because of multiple sessions. Looks like someone else was also using my credentials on a different phone. I also got an SMS with a 4 digit code for cardless withdrawal from an ATM. By this time I had figured out what was happened. Someone else had taken over my Vodafone number, reset the passwords, received pins, changed daily cash withdrawal limits, installed the bank app and was now trying to withdraw cash.

2:00 PM -> I was in the bank and realised that there was a transfer made between my CBA accounts to enable the cash withdrawal as I keep the bare minimum in my day to day account, however I was already with a bank employee helping me out with this by the time. My current net banking was deactivated and then cancelled, all devices registered to use CBA app were disconnected, a new net banking account created, and new passwords generated to prevent any further fraudulent activity.

2:15 PM -> I was at the Police Station to file a report, and get an event number generated. This was also required by the bank to update in their records. The constable was really helpful, and got me a form to fill with as many details as possible related to the incident. An event number was given to me, which I then passed on to the bank. I was asked to get details of transactions from the bank, and submit it to the police, however bank employees were not authorised to print those out (probably because the case was opened in Group Security, and the cards were frozen)

4:30 PM-> I was back home, and set up my net banking, and app from scratch. Downloaded a copy of the fraud escalation report

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Back to work while trying to make sense of the whole thing. This is how I summarise the whole incident now

  1. CBA sent the cards in unsecure mail leaving it open to multiple opportunities of misuse.
  2. Someone knew there were credit cards inside the envelop (Its either the postman who gave this envelop away or did not tuck it in the locked letterbox properly making it easy to access by anyone walking by on the street)
  3. Numerous phone calls on 21-March were an attempt to switch off my phone, so that it’s easier for the caller to prove that my number was lost, and I do not realise/get any messages (Voda only bothered to send an sms to the stolen number, and did not have a flag on the service dashboard, or an email sent out)
  4. Someone called in to report a stolen phone, and Vodafone stopped the services to avoid misuse, without confirming if it’s a valid issue or not
  5. The first level customer care was troubleshooting technical issues, while it was very clear that my services were stopped by Vodafone because of the call made earlier
  6. The resolution team at Vodafone refused to file an issue about unwanted calls if I did not give them atleast 10 exact timings. I offered to provide estimates, but they refused to acknowledge
  7. Even though I got the services reactivated on the morning of 22-March, and used both voice and data throughout the morning, duplicate SIM was issued to an unknown person and then activated as well. I understand that someone can somehow get access to my DL number, and date of birth, however it’s impossible for anyone to know my pin as its not documented anywhere. Its only Vodafone representatives who know the pin as its logged in their system
  8. Vodafone resolution team this time only casually directed me to a Fraud Escalation report and a third party related to Identity theft, without taking this issue up right there and then and initiating an investigation. I am expected to download a form, fill it, print it, get a statutory declaration signed by a JP, and then submit it to Vodafone team
  9. I am filing the fraud escalation report to Vodafone today (24-Mar-2016), and also exploring ways to formally complaint to appropriate government bodies about how Vodafone made it extremely easy for someone to take a new SIM, and activate it with my number

Investments…

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There is one thing that I haven’t yet understood is when is someone really upset or just saying it assertively here in Australia. Its confusing. There are times when in a meeting folks would be after each other’s lives, and right after the meeting are best friends forever! 🙂 I am learning for sure!

Anyway.. So I was browsing for mattresses last week, and walked past this very interesting high volume conversation 🙂 I would call it conversation because it did seem that the volumes were high, and a bit of assertiveness to it, but this was more of an advise which was being passed on!

February 21, 2008 - Daurala-1545A Harvey Norman employee (must be atleast 70, because he did look old, and not many 60+ plus folks look that old here), another one in his 50s, and a third one in his 20s were in the middle of a discussion. And the old man was saying out loud to the youngest one that “his generation does not invest well! This generation does not invest in themselves, but in more materialistic needs! How you look, how the world sees you, what you have, and so on.. Instead of how you would be when you are old, how your life would be when you have lived it enough“, and so on!

I am not 100% of how true it is for the folks in their 20s, but I am sure that people at my age group (35-40) are lost at this concept of investing in ourselves! Not all of us, but most of us! We don’t eat well, we don’t work well! We are all after something, which will probably wouldn’t matter in the long run!

Investing in peace, and happiness, and life comes way lower in our priorities! We tend to put an investment in the house, buying a car, and such before the things that matter!

Can this change? May be! Maybe not…

Decluttered – Zen Habits by Leo Babauta

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I got this in the email today, and is definitely doable and worth sharing further…

Some rules/guidelines to declutter!

  1. Get yourself organized at the start and end of a day. As you start your work day, write down your 3 Most Important Tasks (MITs). Write down a handful of other things you’d like to do today as well. Clear your desk, get things in order. At the end of each day, tidy things up, check off your list, maybe even get things ready for tomorrow.
  2. When you get up from your desk, put one thing away. Whenever you get up for a glass of water, to go to the bathroom, to take a break … pick up something off your desk and put it away. If your desk is clear, look for something nearby.
  3. When you’re done eating, wash your bowl. This is self-explanatory. Mindfully wash your dishes instead of leaving them in the sink. If there are other dishes in the sink, wash a few of them too.
  4. Wipe down the sink when you use it. Whenever you wash your hands or brush your teeth in the bathroom, wipe down the sink so it’s clean. Do the same in the kitchen sink. Clear away a few things around the sink too if you can.
  5. When you walk through a room, find one thing to put away. If you’re going from your bedroom to the living room, find one thing during that trip to put away. You don’t have to get stuck in putting everything away, just one thing.
  6. When you take off a piece of clothing, put it away. When you shower or change clothes, instead of leaving them on the floor or on a piece of furniture, put the clothes away or in a hamper. Look for a few other clothes to put away too if there are more lying around.
  7. Keep flat surfaces clear. Your tables, counters, desks, floors … keep them clear. If there’s a ton of clutter there now, see the rule below about decluttering on Saturdays. But if it’s doable, just start clearing whatever is on the floor (except furniture and the like). When you walk by the kitchen counter, look for things other than oft-used appliances to put away.
  8. At the end of the work day, file stuff. If you still use papers, file them at the end of the day. If you are all digital, clear your computer desktop and put files where they belong.
  9. Deal with an email instead of putting it off. When you open an email, give it the space to deal with it immediately. Read it, reply, take action, or archive it. Or put it on your to-do list for later if it’s a big task. Don’t just constantly open emails without handling them.
  10. Work to only having 3 emails in your inbox. Slowly clear away the hundreds or thousands of emails in your inbox. Archive or delete them, put a handful in a to-do folder, file others into informational folders, unsubscribe from newsletters.
  11. Put non-essential items you want to buy on a 30-day list. Create a 30-day list, and whenever you want to buy something that’s not absolutely essential (other than groceries, cleaning supplies, toiletries), put it on the list with the date you added it. Then don’t allow yourself to buy anything until it’s been on the list for 30 days. At the end of the 30 days, see if you still want it before buying.
  12. Put your clothes in a different closet or box, and only take out what you need. Move all your clothes to a closet in an unused room if you have one, or put them in a box or two. Only remove the clothes you really need to wear. After a month of doing this, you’ll see what clothes you can consider donating.
  13. Declutter on Saturdays. Every Saturday morning, spend an hour or two (or half a day) decluttering one area.
  14. One in, two out. When you bring something new in your life (buy something online, get a gift), get rid of two other similar things. For example, if you buy a pair of shoes, donate two other pairs. In this way, you’ll 1) think more about each thing you buy, and 2) slowly have fewer and fewer possessions. Eventually you’ll want to switch to a “one in, one out” rule when you think your possessions are at a good level.
  15. Limit how many things you have. Consider limiting yourself to 30 pieces of clothing, or 30 books, or something like that. Get rid of everything else, don’t allow yourself to go beyond the limit. The individual limit you set is up to you, whatever feels slightly uncomfortable is good.
  16. At the end of each month, clear out computer clutter. Self-explanatory. Back things up!
  17. Every three months, purge. Also self-explanatory. Spend a weekend purging all your unneeded belongings.

This is originally published on : Zen Habits (Must read and subscribe in my humble opinion)

Office Desk – POCO

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I was in the market to buy an office desk for myself for a while now… Though Gumtree is usually my go-to website to find things that I need and I don’t, this time around I couldn’t really make up my mind for a few reasons..

  1. I was not sure of the age of a lot of tables advertised on Gumtree
  2. I did not want plastic/metal or glass tables
  3. The wood tables were very expensive even on Gumtree
  4. I would need to rent a van to get one home, as most of these were not flatpacked anymore (Which is how new ones can be picked up), and hence additional cost for transport

I finally decided to buy a new one from POCO… A wood finish Monte Office Desk, originally priced at $199, however available for $120 till stocks lasted, and I managed to get a further $25 off by signing up for the membership… So final price $95, which isn’t too bad considering all decent office desks on Gumtree were also in the same range.

Another advantage with POCO was that they let you use their van for free, for the first one hour if your purchase does not fit into the car. Mine did, as it was flat packed, and I was able to fit it in by laying the rear seat flat… Getting the 48kg pack from my garage to the the 2nd floor apartment is a whole different story, but I managed it alone in about 15 minutes without killing myself or breaking any bones or rupturing any muscles in the process!

The box stayed near the door because I was too lazy to open it and assemble (which I assumed would be amazingly simple) because I was told that all the tools required (basically a hex-key) are inside the packing! Also that this was hard wood and hence this heavy (NO its not wood, it just has a wood finish). I finally opened it a few days ago, and took out a 10 page manual with all the assembly instructions, a time estimate of 2 hours, and that I need a few tools like a measuring tape, a hammer, and a Philips screwdriver to assemble. Now thankfully I had everything but the hammer, but think of someone who would buy this based on the salesman’s comment! Its practically lying to the customer!

I took out all the pieces, sorted them along with the screws etc, and got to work… About 2.5 hours later the desk was ready for use! First I messed up with some screws for the top, and also realised that I had put in the drawers wrong way during the final assembly. This is a good desk, and I would recommend it to someone who is looking for a new office or working desk 🙂

However I would still want Poco to stick a note about an estimated assembly time, and the tools needed next to all display furniture in the showroom. Also the weight of boxes (I know they don’t do this because it would scare away customers, but still)

Photos below (Oh and because I didn’t have a hammer handy, a plumbing wrench was used)

Its usually good to separate out these things from the packet, and then pick up only what you need for a step while doing DIY projects

Yup.. that Wrench did help 🙂

My little helper giving it the final touches 🙂 and assembly instructions on top

There we go! All set!

Living in Sydney – NSW Government

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I am a subscriber to Business Insider Australia, and keep getting these wonderful “10 things you need to know this morning” emails! Love them… In yesterday’s email, there was a link to details of a document published by NSW government on various parts of Sydney… Attaching it here for my reference, and for the benefit of anyone who’d like to take a note…

Find the detailed article here.

Image in the post from : Business Insider Australia‘s post

I fear small talk!

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September 15, 2007 - Pondi-7848I really do! I have no idea what to do when I have do small talk! The self help articles make sense, but its not for me! I can only talk sense, and not small!

Why don’t I like it? Well…

  1. It doesn’t make any sense
  2. Specially when you are talking to someone you know for a while, and all you two can do is small talk! I’d rather waste my time somewhere else
  3. Its usually meaningless
  4. It doesn’t tell me anything about the person I am talking to, or anything about me to the person I am trying to talk to
  5. Its more like an obligation, than a connection
  6. Not that every conversation needs to have a connection, but in my opinion there should be something less shallow in a conversation
  7. I feel awkward in small talk
  8. I don’t know when or how to finish small talk and move on
  9. There is too much of silence when I practice small talk
  10. I SUCK at small talk, but that’s obviously already very clear

and this also makes me realise that I love conversations.. Conversations that can talk hours, and days and weeks! and you can then pause, and begin where you left! and I am just thankful that I have friends who I can get into conversations with!