Why do we pay for stolen phone calls?

New plans to limit the size of bills criminals can rack up on stolen mobile phones don’t go far enough, campaigners have argued.

Mobile phone operators have agreed to put a £100 cap on the amount customers have to pay for calls made after their phones have been stolen.

However, campaigners say customers should not have to pay for any calls made by crooks.

The deal was secured by the UK Government and announced yesterday as the Conservatives look to boost their ratings in the run up to the general election.

The voluntary agreement, signed by Britain’s five largest mobile operators, means the amount customers are liable to pay for calls on stolen phones will be limited as long as they report it within 24 hours.

Richard Lloyd, executive director of consumer group Which?, said: “This long-

overdue cap falls short of expectations and won’t do enough to protect consumers facing unfair bills run up by criminals.”

Around 300,000 mobiles are reported stolen to the police each year in the UK with many more stolen from British tourists abroad.

In some instances crooks have run up bills costing tens of thousands of pounds money which network operators have sought to reclaim from victims.

Colin Paterson, 39, from Kirkwall in Orkney, was left with a £6,000 bill after pickpockets stole his phone while he was on holiday in Gran Canaria in 2003.

Phone firm Project Telecom initially told him he was liable for the full bill but later agreed to lower it to £175 after he contacted them numerous times over a four-month period.

“People should not be liable for what a thief runs up,” he said. “Credit card firms clear the cost of any bills run up by thieves. It should be exactly the same for mobile phones.”

Mobile network Three states it introduced a £100 cap on bills run up by thieves in January. EE will begin honouring the agreement “in coming weeks” while Virgin will do so from July.

O2 will introduce the cap by September while mobile giant Vodaphone plans to follow suit “this summer”.

Gillian Guy, chief executive of Citizens Advice, said the group would monitor the roll out to ensure phone firms kept their word.

She said: “Since the caps will not come into effect immediately, phone companies should look into reimbursing consumers caught out before the planned dates and over the last year.”

Digital economy minister Ed Vaizey said the move would provide consumers with “real benefits” and “peace of mind”.