Couple loses £25,000 to identity fraud on cruise

A couple, Stephen and Karen Ratchford, experienced £25,000 in identity fraud while on a cruise. They were "SIM-jacked," losing control of their phone numbers, which allowed scammers to access their accounts and take out loans. The incident occurred shortly after they began their cruise in October 2024. The couple faced significant stress as they tried to cancel unauthorized loans and overdrafts while abroad. Their mobile provider, iD Mobile, has since improved security measures. Fortunately, the banks involved began canceling the fraudulent loans once the fraud was identified. iD Mobile also covered the couple's additional charges from the incident.