Jaswant Singh never lived in Sydney but recently he got to know that he has a Telstra telephone connection in his name at a property in the suburb of Ashfield in the Inner West of Sydney.
Mr Singh told SBS Punjabi that he is not happy with the way Telstra approached his case.
“They don’t listen, they don’t care. Telstra referred the outstanding bills on my name to their debt recovery team...and the damage was done to my credit history," said Mr Singh.
“My identity was stolen and someone established a Telstra account under my name and defaulted for $2,300.
“I am a truck driver. I provide my resume and driving license to so many recruitment agencies and God knows who stole my information.
“When I contacted Telstra, they advised that the address used to create this account is in Ashfield, Sydney. It was a surprise for me as I never lived in Sydney for all my life.
Jaswant told SBS Punjabi that Telstra contacted him on his email to notify that bill was overdue and needs to be paid urgently.
Identity theft victim Jaswant Singh has questioned Telstra’s identity check measures. Source: AAP
“I called Telstra to tell this is a mistake and the bill doesn’t belong to me,” said Mr Singh
“They promised me to investigate further. But I had no response for months and I assumed that the case is closed.
“Even before that I visited Telstra outlets a couple of times. I was advised since I have never signed or never verbally gone into a contract, I need not to worry.
“Telstra never told me that I am being referred to debt recovery team.
“I got to know about the credit history damage more recently when I applied for a business vehicle loan from Holden with St George Bank.
“The loan was declined and I was provided information that I got a default on my credit file for nearly $2300. This was time when I realized that Telstra has given my details to Panthera Finance.
Jaswant Singh has also filed a Police complaint in this regard.
“I requested them to consider it as a serious matter. But they said they can’t do much. In fact, they advised me to sort this financial matter with Telstra," said Mr Singh.
“I feel Telstra harassed me for no fault of my own. They have treated me like a fraudster and have eventually damaged my credit history.
On 13th December, Jaswant received an email form his Telstra case officer* mentioning that his outstanding bill has been waived off.
“But I have seen a lot of stress and financial losses due the rejection of my business loan. Who will pay for that,” asks Mr Singh.
“Even if Telstra files a request to delete the associated default listing, it will still be on my record for next seven years. Shouldn’t Telstra be held responsible for that?
“I am now taking legal advice. Hopefully, the matter will be resolved and I will not go through this stress again.
“Telstra must admit that the identity checks they have are not adequate and they should review cases based on their merits before they tarnish someone’s credit history.
Identity theft can be devastating, both financially and emotionally.
For personalised support call IDCARE on 1300 432 273 (Aust) 0800 201 415 (NZ) or email
*SBS Punjabi has contacted Telstra and is awaiting their response.
