Protect your Mobil Number

Christine was temporarily stranded while on holiday in France when her pay-as-you-go handset suddenly flashed “Sim unusable”.

“It had been topped up with credits and there didn’t seem to be a technical fault so I was bewildered,” says Christine, 56.

“No one could get through to me which was very frustrating, particularly as I have a disabled mum who keeps in close contact.”

When she got home to Cowplain,Waterlooville, Hampshire, relatives told her that when they had tried to reach her a strange man answered. “He said it was his number now,” Christine continued. “I could not believe my number could just be snatched like that.” But when she approached her network operator 3, expecting to get her number reinstated, she met a block.

She told Crusader: “I was informed that the number had been transferred, that I must have allowed it and it was with another network which refused to give any information. I can get another number but that’s very inconvenient. I was never warned when I bought my pay-as-you-go that this could happen. It feels like theft.”

We asked 3 to investigate further and a worrying story emerged. Christine’s phone had been a Christmas gift and she says she never saw a need to register it. Failing to register it and having a noticeable number may be why it was transferred to another network.

“We recommend all pay-as-you-go customers to contact our services to register with their details to protect their number,” explained a 3 spokeswoman.