Can not log into VM/O2 account

For nearly two months (since 26th August) my 81 year old mother's VirginMedia/O2 account has been locked following fraudulent activity on her O2 mobile (cloning, we suspect).

While the O2 mobile part was fixed quickly with a new SIM and existing number transferred to it, the VM/O2 account remained locked despite several fruitless phone calls to VM (via the 150 number).

Late on Monday (6th October) the account was suddenly unlocked, although the email was not seen until Tuesday morning. However, the passwords no longer work and mum never set-up recovery codes, or they are long lost (I suspect they would also have been invalidated). The backup email login was also for an address mum has *never* owned, despite it using her name (an Outlook address).

Fortunately, a phone call to VM miraculously managed to get the backup email changed.

Unfortunately, after putting the phone down, we logged in using the backup email "verify me" link, in order to reset the passwords/recovery codes in "Security Settings", and noticed that the "primary verified phone number" is *also* incorrect and a number mum has never used and therefore does not have access to.

Here's the deeply frustrating part.

To change the verification number (add new/delete old) you need to verify -- but mum can't because she does not have the password, does not have recovery codes and does not have access to the incorrect phone number.

To change the password, you need the old password, or verification phone, or recovery codes.

To get new recovery codes you need... the password, or verificaton phone etc.

Can you see the issue here?

We tried phoning VM again but the lady at the end of the phone did not seem to understand what mum was getting at. She kept talking about the "app", which my mother does NOT have on her phone. We since tried installing it for her, but of course it wants a password to login and the backup email method does not appear to work inside the app.

The next day we tried phoning VM yet again, this time the man at the end of the call opened a ticket - I have a reference, I won't post publically.

Then on the 9th October, a VM tech support person rang mum and tried to get things working with a temporary password, but it did not work when we tried entering it in and eventaully we got locked out -- so the guy on the end of the phone said to wait 24 hours and another person will call.

That did happen, and another attempt was made with temporary password and the tech guy creating a recovery code, but none of it worked. Eventually he too had to end the call, and since then nothing has happened.

The entire system is so Byzantine and Kafkaesque, my (81 year old) mum really can't navigate it. Between us, my sister, brother-in-law and I find it deeply confusing and frustrating -- and we are somewhat tech savvy!

My mum has been a customer since it was NTLWorld and this is the worst experience she has ever had from Virgin.

To be really clear here, this is what we are doing that isn't working:

1. Using a web browser (Firefox) on a regular desktop PC.
2. Going to virginmedia.com and clicking on "Sign in to My Virgin Media"
3. On the VirginO2 sign-in page, selecting the account we want to log into (which happens to be an ntlworld.com email).
4. Clicking verify by another method to use the "backup email verification link" because the password doesn't work.
5. Clicking on the verification link to login to the account.
6. Then clicking through: My Virgin Account -> Account Settings -> Identity and Security Settings -> Security Settings -> Verified Phone Number.
7. That is where the incorrect number is which needs changing.

All I want is for the verification phone number to be changed, so that we can then go in and change the passwords and recovery codes for mum.

Although given the two failed failed attempts with a VM tech support person, I have doubts even that will work now.