Norwich man says fraudsters took over his phone after EE failings

In an email to Mr Skinner, EE said it had investigated the “failings of EE to secure your account”.

An EE spokesperson told the BBC that in Mr Skinner’s case, the fraudster passed appropriate checks, including email verification.

They said the fraudster had requested a replacement e-Sim with a built-in 24-hour delay “as a normal existing fraud mitigation measure”.

But it added: “When Mr Skinner contacted us with concerns, in this case, we did not act as quickly as normal to cancel the replacement e-sim order and we have provided coaching [to] that customer service guide.

“While Mr Skinner’s account was secured quickly and a replacement Sim arranged for him in our retail store, we’re sorry for any inconvenience.”

However, the spokesperson said EE could not comment on the other cases seen by the BBC.

Action Fraud, the national reporting centre for fraud and cybercrime, confirmed it had received a report of fraud in Mr Skinner’s case.

The body – which has no investigative powers – said all reports were passed to police for intelligence purposes.

In a statement, it said: “Every report of crime made helps us build a bigger picture of fraudulent activity happening across the UK.

“Anyone who suspects fraudulent activity or has fallen victim to fraud should report it as soon as possible, because that report could be the final piece in the puzzle to building intelligence and catching offenders.”