I think my mobile is tapped, some advice needed

Firstly, mods please move this if its in the wrong forum.

Im posting the following info for three reasons, One, to hopefully get some information from anyone in the telecom field here in the UK. Secondly, to find out if any other uk member has been involved in the scenario I am about to explain and thirdly as a heads up/ warning to anyone else who might be open to privacy invasion because of their beliefs.

Ok some background information.

I have been politically pro-active for many years now. From the anti Thatcher picket lines to the G20. My ethos is based in our freedoms being the last bastion worth defending. I am a photographer and like to be there to capture the true picture of many demonstrations here in the UK.

I have a mobile phone (Cell phone) provided by 02 and have used their pay as you go service without fault for 3 years.

Yesterday 18th September at exactly 12.45 I received a text stating that I was about to receive 2 texts that were updates and these updates would install without any action from me. As I have had this before when upgrading my msm and web settings, I thought no more of it.

Later in the afternoon I received a text from a friend which always opens a page with your last recived and in order texts.

I noted the following...

12.45.....incoming text from (Number) 2030, information listed above.
12.47.....incoming text from ( no number) service provider, no text in message
12.49.....incoming text from ( no number) service provider, no text in message
12.50.....incoming text from (Number) 2030. your updates have been installed.

My first concern was that I had no knowledge of these numbers being used by O2
Being with them for so long i could actually quote every service number used to get customer service, to top up etc and I know all texts from the O2 service centre are from 2020.

My first thought was "Oh sh**" I hope my mobile hasnt been hacked, my second thought, to call 4445 which is the O2 number for service enquiries.

On calling I spoke to a nice lady called Pauline who listened carefully to the above information and dissapeared for 5 minutes to confirm the above texts were from O2. ( The music they play is dreadfull!)

Although it was Pauline who returned her attitude had gone from being empathetic and helpfull, to very dry. She said that all texts from O2 to any handset are listed, she had checked their system and there was no record of me having received any service centre or O2 texts yesterday.

I asked her if that meant that my handset had been compromised or hacked...she said no my handset was alright. Confused and with my alarm bell ringing loudly I asked if 2030 was a number used when sending texts from O2?...she said no it wasnt, asked if there was anything else she could help me with I said no and the call ended.

I decided I would write down all the information she had given me and also wrote down all timings and words from the texts received. I went online and tried to find any info on that 2030 number and a connection to O2. There was none.

Next step, I decided, was to call 4445 again and ask to speak to a supervisor.

Gordon answered my call and I explained about the discussion with Pauline. He asked for information on the texts, which I gave and he then dissapeared leaving me listening to the same crap song.

He returned 10 minutes later and was very upbeat in telling me word for word what
my texts had said, when I received them and that they had come from 2030 which is a number they also use. On asking why pauline had been so wrong with her info his reply word for word was " your texts were from 2030 Mr *****, thats all I can add" .

At 2.29 today I recived a text from 2020 with the following...
You will switch toFavourite Place on 7/10. Call 2020 free from your mobile for more info.

I did and was told that favourite place uses your post code (Zip code) in the following way. Any calls I make from 7/10 from my home, ie my post code...ARE FREE!! RFID chip come to mind !!! I have not requested this service, told them so and will now change service providers !

That to me says that they are monitoring my mobile whereabouts or even my calls and I would hazard a guess that the texts received yesterday were to activate my phone to be used like the chip to monitor where I am.

I am sorry this OP is so long but felt it important that all info was there so that others can be aware. Also anyone with any knowledge of mobile services might want to chip in.


Respects

Sounds fishy to me, but I'm sure someone will tell you there is nothing to worry about.

You can always just change your service. That would throw them off for a couple weeks.

Sounds like you've been hacked. Remember though, a cell phone is nothing but and upgraded walkie talkie. In the early days of cell phones, when thney were analog, conversations were often picked upon emergency scanners.

If your calls were being intercepted it would happen at the switch and be totally invisible to you.

It would be even more invisible to call centre staff of your network.

These things are incredibly sensitive to government and understandably to telecoms providers so are done with as few people as possible knowing.

Well, technically every phone on Earth is tapped. Research the NSA and "Data mining".

So actually your right, you are being tapped. Welcome to 1984.

I have had my office lines bugged before (BT landlines) - this was four years ago. They actually left a trace - there would be the sound of a secondary (bugging) line being picked up, and you could tell there was someone listening - it really freaked me out. After about 30 seconds, or sometimes a bit longer, there would be a 'click' as the bugging was disconnected, ie they hadn't heard anything suspicious and left the call to its devices. I also got an attempted ripoff from BT when I made about £40 of phone calls, and was charged for them over £1,000 in one bill. I can't draw firm conclusions from what you said, but it certainly looks very suspicious and worrying.

Originally posted by TheDailyPlanet
I have had my office lines bugged before (BT landlines) - this was four years ago. They actually left a trace - there would be the sound of a secondary (bugging) line being picked up, and you could tell there was someone listening - it really freaked me out. After about 30 seconds, or sometimes a bit longer, there would be a 'click' as the bugging was disconnected, ie they hadn't heard anything suspicious and left the call to its devices. I also got an attempted ripoff from BT when I made about £40 of phone calls, and was charged for them over £1,000 in one bill. I can't draw firm conclusions from what you said, but it certainly looks very suspicious and worrying.

Yeah but you believe the Daily Mail are responsible for teenagers killing each other. I think that should be considered by anyone reading this comment.

I have lots of trouble in the past with digital mobile phones in the UK.

I was on a contract with Vodafone and people were receiving calls from me which I hadn't made. I even had Vodafone put a trace on my number which logged every incoming and outgoing call even if it was unanswered and they said these calls didn't come from my handset.

People even received them when I was with them and my phone was switched off. Mainly they were silent calls, other times they heard me talking.


What make/model of handset do you have?

reply to post by muzzleflash


Well while every phone on earth is tapped in a way if your singled out it will be more intense,everyone else just raises flags.

reply to post by phoenix103



You're saying that since you find incredulous my Conspiracy thread "Why I believe over 1,000 people were murdered due to the actions of a UK national newspaper", you are therefore raising the question of whether anything I write can be trusted ? That's the implication. This bugging genuinely happened to me - I've been involved in all kinds of disputes, there's people out there who would prefer that their scandals be suppressed. Your post was hardly on topic either was it.


[edit on 19-9-2009 by TheDailyPlanet]

reply to post by lightchild


The mobile is a nokia N70.

It is unlocked so tomorrow I go buy a sim from another provider that isnt O2.

Respects

me too interested to find out how to find if you are being tapped, i have concerns and suspicions too

(o2, contract, uk)

please pm if anyone can help

Ive gotten to the point of deleting every number I had on my SIM, zapping it and disposing it at a certain place I wont mention. My Entire Phone along with it. I think T-Mobile sends out occasional texts to triangulate my position using phone-masts and compiles the data onto a national grid to see who's doing what, going where, and looking at their texts to see why.

I dont like this Big Brother notion so I do everything, including destryong my TV antennae for Digital TV (not that I watch TV now anyway) so they cant triangulate where I am or what I do/watch/hear.

reply to post by captiva


They don't require to install software on cell phones when they want to tap it.

If they had, you would not have been notified at all. They don't want people suspecting these sorts of things.

You just got a bum rep on the line the first time, and Gordon seemed to know what he was talking about.

There is cell phone market war going on if nobody's noticed. All of these companies are fighting for the first spot, and all these extra features are for those purposes.

I would not worry about it my friend. If anything, just buy a new mobile. Ohh, on second thought, as far as I know, they can't tap pre paid phones, but I am not sure about that.

~Keeper

Originally posted by TheDailyPlanet
reply to post by phoenix103

 

You're saying that since you find incredulous my Conspiracy thread "Why I believe over 1,000 people were murdered due to the actions of a UK national newspaper", you are therefore raising the question of whether anything I write can be trusted ? That's the implication. This bugging genuinely happened to me - I've been involved in all kinds of disputes, there's people out there who would prefer that their scandals be suppressed. Your post was hardly on topic either was it.


[edit on 19-9-2009 by TheDailyPlanet]

It does make me question your judgement, i have to be honest.

reply to post by tothetenthpower


Thanks for that although it does not answer the question regarding 02 listing every number they have for every service they have online and in your mobile when you first use their sim...and 2030 is not listed.

Also i have real concerns that they are offering me a service where they will kindly give me free calls from my home address using my mobile. So what are they going to do?...check where I am every time I call someone and if Im at home not bill me? That my friend, seems so invasive. I can just see someone sitting saying...oh its Danny, he is not at home he is (Enter anywhere) so we have to charge for it....sheeeeesh, big brother realy is watching us, eh?

respects

Originally posted by captiva



At 2.29 today I recived a text from 2020 with the following...
You will switch toFavourite Place on 7/10. Call 2020 free from your mobile for more info.

I did and was told that favourite place uses your post code (Zip code) in the following way. Any calls I make from 7/10 from my home, ie my post code...ARE FREE!! RFID chip come to mind !!! I have not requested this service, told them so and will now change service providers !

That to me says that they are monitoring my mobile whereabouts or even my calls and I would hazard a guess that the texts received yesterday were to activate my phone to be used like the chip to monitor where I am.


Respects

Im on o2 pay as u go.

That message is abt your 'bolt on', maybe you have changed your current bolt on?

Just dial 2425 to change your bolt on to something you want....I chose the 100minutes and 100 free txt's when u top up 15pounds lol

Originally posted by captiva
reply to post by lightchild

 

The mobile is a nokia N70.

It is unlocked so tomorrow I go buy a sim from another provider that isnt O2.

Respects

And do you know how long it will take to identify the new phone number and IMSI from via the IMEI?

Originally posted by angelx666
me too interested to find out how to find if you are being tapped, i have concerns and suspicions too

(o2, contract, uk)

please pm if anyone can help

You can't. Unless you know people who are directly involved in the interception.

Originally posted by ROBL240
Ive gotten to the point of deleting every number I had on my SIM, zapping it and disposing it at a certain place I wont mention. My Entire Phone along with it. I think T-Mobile sends out occasional texts to triangulate my position using phone-masts and compiles the data onto a national grid to see who's doing what, going where, and looking at their texts to see why.

I dont like this Big Brother notion so I do everything, including destryong my TV antennae for Digital TV (not that I watch TV now anyway) so they cant triangulate where I am or what I do/watch/hear.

It doesn't work like that.