... woman claims after getting whopping bill

PAULA GORDON, STAR Writer

A woman who strongly believe she has become a victim of identity theft is now seeking answers from Jamaica's first broadband network company Flow.

Cynthia Walkertold THE STAR that sometime ago she received a call from a Flow representative, who told her that they were offering landline service as part of a promotion. She said that she expressed her interest and was told that a technician would be sent to install the instrument.

According to Walker, she was at home one day when she received a call from a man who identified himself as a Flow technician. She said he told her he would be coming by to do the installation; however, he did not show up.

She commented, "Several weeks later, a representative from Flow MoBay called and said they were welcoming me to the service and that my bill was in the mail. At that time I explained to her that I did not get any phone."

Walker recalled that about a week later when she went to the post office she received a bill from Flow for a total of $4,078.

rectifying the problem

Following that, she said, contact was made with the company in order to rectify the problem.

"From then I've been calling them. Every time I call my credit keep running out, I don't get no reply. According to them, they can't just call back customers like that."

The woman explained that the situation continued until she received a second bill totalling a whopping $71, 218.04.

THE STAR managed to acquire a copy of the bill that had consisted of 29 pages. When inspected, it was found that the service period for the bill was September 1 to September 30 and the due date was September 28.

It was discovered that numerous calls had been made to telephone numbers registered to the three mobile networks in Jamaica. Additionally, the international section of the bill was loaded with calls to Miami, New York, Atlanta, the United Kingdom, Toronto and a place listed as Kill Devil Hill. That section amounted to $27,598.

"When I got that bill I started to get really upset. I demanded to speak to the man-ager. They came and looked at my premises and saw that I didn't have a phone, I was later told that they went back to the premises where the instrument was installed and retrieved it," Walker reasoned.

But for her that does not solve the problem.

"I am upset cause I told them I want to know who is the person that could have actually signed to my name. Somebody must have signed for me, I don't know but they are not saying," she said.

answers

Furthermore she noted, "It's so funny, 'cause nobody not gonna know a phone is registered in their name and in one month dem run up the bill to $71,000. I need answers."

In a statement sent to THE STAR on Thursday, Flow's director of corporate and government affairs, Denise Williams, noted that, "We have conducted a thorough investigation of the situation and the matter has been resolved. Flow can confirm there has been no instances of identity theft or systems error. The customer has been contacted and all phone charges have been reversed."

Name Changed