Two residents have raised concerns over bills for telephone calls they claimed they never made.

Disgruntled Pembroke resident Larry Anderson contacted The Royal Gazette after his bill from Cable and Wireless stated he had made four overseas calls to Cayman Islands, Pennsylvania, Nevada and the Bahamas.

He said he did not make the calls, or allow anyone else to make them.

Mr. Anderson said even though the cost of the calls was only $4.35 combined, he refused to pay it because that would have been acknowledgement that he made them.

"The reason why I am upset over this bill, which I have been getting for the past few months, is that it could have been for much more," said Mr. Anderson. "Someone somewhere somehow was able to make these calls by using my telephone number without having access to my telephone and that is what bothers me.

"I am yet to receive a satisfactory answer from Bermuda Cable and Wireless, in spite of all the inquiries in person and all the calls I have made."

Charmaine Burgess, director of corporate communications and market strategy at Cable and Wireless, said Mr. Anderson's bill had been credited and they were very sorry for the inconvenience caused. She said: "It was a technical error on Mr. Anderson's line. We are currently working with BTC to rectify the problem to ensure it does not happen again. The information was showing up on the call information, but it was not coming from his premises. It is an anomaly."

And businessman Richard Stephens complained to BTC last week after he received a bill for a phone line which he claimed was no longer in service, which stated he had made ten calls to directory assistance.

He said: "The phone has been out of order for a month and a half. That has been one of my complaints with BTC because I wanted to know when they were going to hook it up, and then I get this bill. It might be only a few calls to directory assistance, but my concern is whether this is happening to other people. I would tell everyone to check their bills and make sure they made the calls listed."

Mr. Stephens, who owns Stephens' Special Services and Spar Yard Industries, said it was not the cost involved that upset him, but the principle.

The Hamilton Parish man added: "I would just like it resolved. There should not be calls on a bill that I have not made."

A spokesman for BTC said the company regretted any inconvenience to Mr. Stephens.

He said: "The discrepancy in Mr. Stephens' account regarding directory assistance calls is under investigation and will be resolved accordingly.

"As always, BTC customers are urged to check their bills and report any discrepancies to the company."