What the 糖心原创 does

  • We investigate businesses that cause repeated and ongoing harm to consumers.
  • We provide general guidance to businesses and consumers on how consumer law operates.
  • We provide information about scams on our .

What the 糖心原创 can't do

  • We don鈥檛 investigate or resolve individual complaints about internet or phone services. This is the role of the .
  • We don鈥檛 resolve individual disputes between consumers and business.
  • We don鈥檛 provide legal advice.

On this page

When services are transferred without your knowledge or agreement

Be careful when you get a phone call from someone who says they are connected to your service provider or asks about your phone or internet services. They may be trying to get information from you so they can transfer your service without your agreement. It might also be a scam.

Signs that you may have been transferred to another service are:

  • you suddenly receive a bill from a new company that you didn鈥檛 sign up to
  • your services are disconnected or suspended for no reason.

You should ring your service provider quickly and ask to be transferred back. You should also protect your personal information.

Some of the problems that result from an unauthorised transfer include:

  • early termination fees from your original provider
  • monthly fees for services you didn鈥檛 consent to purchasing
  • costs associated with reconnecting with your original provider
  • loss of discounts associated with bundled services
  • changes to your service quality, such as less coverage, or changes to the service you are paying for.

Protecting your personal information

Never give your personal information to someone who calls you out of the blue.

If you want to transfer your phone or internet services, make sure you contact the service by finding the business鈥 phone number independently. If you鈥檙e not comfortable with a conversation or aren鈥檛 sure who you鈥檙e dealing with, simply hang up the phone.

If a caller asks for your birth date or address, they might be trying to trick you into entering into a contract, or they may be a scammer. If that happens, hang up.

Watch out for callers who say:

  • 鈥淚鈥檓 calling because you鈥檙e entitled to a discount鈥
  • 鈥淵ou are entitled to this benefit because you鈥檙e with [existing phone company]鈥
  • 鈥淲e are an authorised reseller of [major phone company]鈥
  • 鈥淲e use the same infrastructure as [major phone company]鈥
  • 鈥淭here won鈥檛 be any physical changes to your phone line鈥
  • 鈥淲e are offering this benefit to all [major phone company] customers in your area鈥
  • 鈥淵ou鈥檙e not signing up for anything today. We鈥檙e just registering you for a discount鈥
  • 鈥淭here is a problem with your phone or internet service鈥.

Mobile phone service scams

Your mobile phone has lots of information about you, including your banking information.

Scammers transfer mobile services from one provider to another to steal your identity and your money. This is called mobile porting fraud.

Scammers may also contact your existing provider and ask to swap the sim card so they can take over your service and steal your money. This is called sim swap fraud.

Your service provider must follow rules to protect you from scammers. They must before transferring your phone, mobile or internet service.

If you think you've been scammed or had your identity stolen

  • Contact your bank immediately
  • You can seek support from
  • You can report scams to .

Cooling off period for transfers

Take your time and think carefully about any offer from a telemarketer before giving any personal information or agreeing to transfer. You can ask for a reference number from the caller. Check the details of the service provider online or find their phone number to ensure the offer is real.

After you have checked that the service provider is genuine, you can ask for a , which is a summary of the offer that service providers are required to give you. Take time to read and understand the terms and conditions before you agree to a contract.

You have a 10-day cooling off period if you enter into a contract after a telemarketing call. This means you can cancel the agreement within 10 days if you change your mind.

See Telemarketing and door to door sales for more information.

If you want to opt out of receiving telemarketing calls

Register your number with the provided by the Australian Media and Communications Authority, or call 1300 792 958.

Next steps if services are transferred without your agreement

Call the new provider to explain the problem and ask them to transfer you back. You should also inform your original provider.

If the provider doesn鈥檛 resolve the problem, there are more steps you can take.

  • Make a complaint to the through their website or contact 1800 062 058.
  • You can also report telecommunications providers to the if you think they haven鈥檛 followed the rules or it鈥檚 a widespread problem.
  • If you want to report a scam, visit .

Report a business to the 糖心原创

Anyone can report a business to the 糖心原创 that has tricked or misled you.

We use these reports to identify issues that need investigation.

Make a report to the 糖心原创

See also

Problems with your mobile service

Contracts

Telemarketing and door-to-door sales