emoalas hallsey dorothy
Solana Axton
Today, almost everything about our lives is digitally recorded and stored somewhere. Every interaction with technology creates data about that user. Each credit card purchase, medical diagnosis, Google search, Facebook post, or Netflix preferences is another recorded data point about that individual user. Beyond that, every census report, home purchase, voter registration, medical history, and cell phone geolocation is recorded and stored. This data is then analyzed and used by the entities that collect it. Netflix analyzes user preferences to recommend movies; medical researchers study patient data to find new treatments and cures; and Google reviews search queries to improve its search results. That aggregated data is also sold and transmitted to third parties, such as analytics companies, marketing companies, or commercial data brokers.
The first two techniques are used mainly for direct identifiers and the latter two are used for indirect identifiers. While direct identifiers can be easily removed or replaced, indirect identifiers can be difficult to remove as they might be important for later analysis or use. For example, a dataset for medical research would be nearly worthless if data scrubbing removed the symptoms or diagnosis.
However, simply redacting or removing data is not foolproof. For example, medical records contain large amounts of unstructured text such as transcriptions of conversations and hand written notations.5 Id. at 30. Direct identifiers might not be clearly marked, and important medical information may be mistaken for personal information and deleted accidentally.6 Id. If a data set is released with insufficient de-identification, the missed direct or indirect identifiers can be used to re-identify the individual involved.7 Id.
Hackers are able to create Netflix accounts via Virgin's web portal, but for a email address and contact information that is completely different to your Virgin media account details. They then have a "free" Netflix account that you are getting billed for. Virgin don't even know the email address that has been used - so you will have serious trouble trying to get either Virgin or Netflix to cancel the account.
I was fortunate - my Virgin Tivo box had been logged into the Netflix account automatically so I could find out the account name and email address. Without that I'd have been screwed.
So - Virgin media then told me it was my problem and I had to sort this out with Netflix. Netflix told me the account was set up through the Virgin Media portal - so the fraud was perpetrated there.
Now, Netflix have stopped the account, but Virgin have still billed me for it. I've reported it to Virgin as FRAUD on the phone twice, and by email to their [REMOVED] address - which it appears no one actually monitors.
I am reporting this to OFCOM and the police. VM must know they have a security issue around this.
Good luck in getting any sense from VM - you can never talk to anyone who isn't a bottom rung idiot.
It appears that hackers are able to create Netflix accounts via Virgin's web portal, but with an email address and contact information that is completely different to your Virgin media account details. (This is pretty dodgy in itself) The hackers then have a "free" Netflix account that you are getting billed for. Virgin don't even know the email address that has been used - so you will have serious trouble trying to get either Virgin or Netflix to cancel the account.
I was fortunate - (somehow) my Virgin Tivo box had been logged into this Netflix account automatically so I could find out the account name and email address. Netflix helped me locate the account email address via the "help me" tab. Without that I'd have been screwed as Netflix will not give out information without that email address.
Now, Netflix have stopped the account, but Virgin have still billed me for it. I've reported it to Virgin as FRAUD on the phone twice, and by email to their [REMOVED] address - which it appears no one actually monitors.
I have just been cut off by the VM phone numpty. They said they will begrudging credit it me the 17.99 this month, but if it continues I have to pay it!?!?!?! Bearing in mind I have just informed them that this is fraud!
Hi @benidoine,
Thank you for your post and welcome to our community forums. We're here to help.
I can see that one of my colleagues has already responded and offered support via the other post that you've made about this. We'll continue to assist you from there going forward.
Thanks,
It does look as though you have posted in a few different places in the forum and my colleagues have reached out for support already via PM. Just to avoid any confusion, it's best if we stick to one message thread so if you can get back to us we will continue to help from there.
Well - I responded to your colleague, and am waiting a reply - but bear in mind I've already had three very long and fruitless phone calls to your call centre, and been told things which were defamatory and potentially illegal on your part. The last person I spoke to said you'd begrudgingly re-credit the last 17.99 from my bill. This TOTALLY misses the point - it shouldn't even be on my bill! They also said that next time it happens I'll be expected to pay. They also tried to insinuate that I was the one that added this manually (!?) to my Tivo box - so an account created by someone else at a time I know no one in my household could have done such a thing, and then somehow without having the login credentials I added this account to my Tivo, also at a time when I wasn't in the house. This just smacks of desperation - but I will take these allegations to the highest level. Trying to claim that a fraud perpetrated (easily) via your insecure systems is my fault and then trying to pin the blame on me is beyond unacceptable. I hope you retrain the last person I spoke to and their manager - because they just put you in a precarious legal position. I recorded the details on the conversation and I will be sharing them with the ombudsman.
Don't think for even one second that I won't put my energy into taking you on over this matter. Myself and others of your customers should not be treated in this way. One thing that really offends me is injustice - and you just pushed my biggest button!
I also think it's slightly underhanded that you like to take serious matters like this out of public view. You clearly have a number of customers experiencing the same fraud, and are doing little to nothing to rectify the issue. Your systems are clearly insecure and inadequate if a foreign agent can set up a Netflix account via one of your portals and assign it to a completely different email address and other credentials to what is in the held about the Virgin Media account holder. Huge security issue - why is this even possible?
I have emailed the address given to me by your call centre (why was this removed from my post above?) but have had no response. You should publicly display this information so that customers are able to access it immediately.
Your distancing from customers is frankly disgusting. You take huge sums of cash but make it almost impossible to talk to someone who a) understands English well b) can understand the problem communicated to them c) knows what to do about it. You closed all your physical shops, and seem to have shut down direct access to UK based knowledgeable staff.
I've already had three very long and fruitless phone calls to your call centre, and been told things which were defamatory and potentially illegal on your part. The last person I spoke to said you'd begrudgingly re-credit the last 17.99 from my bill. This TOTALLY misses the point - it shouldn't even be on my bill! They also said that next time it happens I'll be expected to pay. They also tried to insinuate that I was the one that added this manually (!?) to my Tivo box - so an account created by someone else at a time I know no one in my household could have done such a thing, and then somehow without having the login credentials I added this account to my Tivo, also at a time when I wasn't in the house. This just smacks of desperation - but I will take these allegations to the highest level. Trying to claim that a fraud perpetrated (easily) via your insecure systems is my fault and then trying to pin the blame on me is beyond unacceptable. I hope you retrain the last person I spoke to and their manager - because they just put you in a precarious legal position. I recorded the details on the conversation and I will be sharing them with the ombudsman.
I recently tried to stream a movie from Amazon Video for the first time and after logging in a prompt appeared on my tv stating "insufficient bandwidth". Thus the movie failed to stream. I should mention that I streamed a movie from Netflix the night before using a different tv without any problems. Some details: using a brand new Samsung TV, internet speed is 50/50Mbps, very little use of data other than 2 cell phones, & the latest Verizon wifi router. Can anyone advise if they had the same problem or maybe offer a recommendation on what I can do without raising my already over-priced Verizon FIOS monthly bill. Thanks.
I recently tried to stream a movie from Amazon Video for the first time and after logging in a prompt appeared on my tv stating "insufficient bandwidth". Thus the movie failed to stream. I should mention that I streamed a movie from Netflix the night before using a different tv without any problems. Some details: brand new Samsung tv, internet speed is 50/50Mbps, very little use of data other than 2 cell phones, & the latest Verizon wifi router. Can anyone advise if anyone had the same problem or maybe a recommendation on what I can do without raising my already over-priced monthly bill. Thanks.
are you connected via Roku? In either case you must be a member of Amazon to stream their content. In Roku devices sometimes a message about DHCP will come on the screen and you won't be able to view the content. A simple fix in that case is to unplug the Roku and the tv and try again.
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