Telecom finds 'f**k you' text sent to five customers

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Telecom says it is still carrying out a "thorough and urgent" investigation into abusive text messages alleged to have been sent by a one of its call centres.

The inquiry was launched after a Wanganui woman said when she complained to Telecom about the time it took for text messages to arrive, she received an abusive message seemingly from a customer service representative saying "f**k you..."

Telecom said today that initial investigations showed similar messages may have been sent to four other customers.

She raised her complaint with Wanganui mayor Michael Laws during his Radio Live show on Wednesday.

Telecom spokesman Nick Brown said today that because of the seriousness of the complaint, and the technology involved, the investigation was complex.

The messages had been sent using an eTXT website, which allowed a computer user to send a text message to a mobile phone.

"Our fraud and technical teams have been working with the eTXT service provider to track where the messages were sent from," he said.

The computer used could be anywhere around the world, said Mr Brown.

"Our fraud team are working to identify the internet addresses involved."

The tracing investigation showed the eTXT tool may have been used to text five customers with abusive content.

"If it is confirmed that the messages were sent by a current Telecom employee either from work or home, it would result in swift disciplinary action appropriate for this serious level of misconduct," Mr Brown said.

The Telecom staff member who held the particular mobile number that the text messages appeared to be sent from was "not, in any way" involved in sending the abusive messages.

"We have contacted the customers who our records show received these eTXTs," said Mr Brown.

"We are apologising, assisting them and gathering further information."

Ernie Newman from the Telecommunications Users Association said the incident was unacceptable, but it was the sort of thing that could happen within a large organisation.

- NZPA