In late November, I noticed some strange activity on my personal email account. 

I started receiving hundreds of spam emails per hour, so I changed my password and thought that was the end of it. 

But in mid-December, I got a nasty shock when checking in for a British Airways flight. I logged into my Executive Club account, but noticed the email address and phone number registered to my account had been changed.  

My Avios - around 180,800 - had been transferred to someone else and my three companion vouchers had disappeared. 

I logged out and called BA on the Silver number. I was told to change the email address on my account to regain access, and to do this by filling out an online form.

This was confusing as it asked for my 'current email'. I didn't know whether to put in my email address, or the one the fraudster had changed it to. I checked with the person on the phone and they said to enter the fraudster's email. 

I later spoke to a manager who said that advice wasn't correct, and that my details would be passed on to the 'audit team'. I've been locked out of my account ever since and am worried that by filling out the form, I handed more details to the fraudster. 

I was told I would receive an email regarding regaining access to my account, but this hasn't happened yet - or perhaps it has gone to the scammer's email address. D.K, London

Helen Crane, This is Money's consumer champion, replies: Losing some loyalty points might not seem like a big deal to the uninitiated. 

However, the Executive Club and Avios have become an obsession among loyal British Airways travellers - as evidenced by the backlash when it recently announced it would change the rules from 1 April. 

Putting a monetary value on Avios is a tricky business, as they can be worth more or less depending on how you choose to spend them. 

However, yours should be worth at least £1,800. And whatever your Avios are worth, the three companion vouchers essentially double it under the current system. 

Earned by spending £15,000 on the British Airways American Express credit card within a year, the vouchers allow you to take a friend on a flight with you without spending any additional Avios points.

It seems that what happened in November was that someone gained access to your email account. 

They might have been able to guess your password, or it could have been part of a data leak and ended up for sale on the dark web - which is sadly all too common. 

For a criminal, being inside your email account is akin to being a child in a sweet shop. They searched for anything that might have some monetary value, and came across an email from Executive Club. 

They were then able to change your password. You later found an email from British Airways asking you to set up two-factor authentication, which you missed at the time because of the volume of emails flooding in. 

Your hard-earned points, built up over many years, had been transferred to someone you didn't know.  

British Airways confirmed a fraudster had used the 'combine my Avios' function to get hold of your points, temporarily locked it and told you it would investigate. 

But you said the person on the phone couldn't tell you how things would be investigated, or whether your Avios had been spent and whether they could be recovered. 

You were also worried they wrongly advised you which email address to give when filling out the change of address form, which was later confirmed by a manager. 

He said BA would contact you by email within a week about the next steps, but you weren't confident they would know how to contact you given the confusion. 

A week passed and you didn't hear anything, so you contacted me. 

It has now given you back access to your account and your balance of 180,799 Avios has been restored, along with your companion vouchers. 

A British Airways spokesman said: 'We're really sorry for our customer's experience and we've been in touch to resolve the issue.'  

My son spent £256 calling his girlfriend in Australia

I have an 18-year-old son. His girlfriend is currently on a gap year in Australia. 

In November, my son made a one-hour phone call to her Australian mobile from his EE mobile, which I pay for. 

This was done without my knowledge and my son didn't realise it wouldn't be included in his inclusive package. When I got the bill, the call cost me £256. 

I researched call charges and found that I could have bought a package for calls to Australia for £2.16 per month, which would have reduced the cost of the call to 21p per minute or £12. 

I'm an NHS worker and will struggle to afford this. I've also been a loyal EE customer for 13 years. 

I asked EE if the package could be retrospectively applied, but was told it couldn't.

Instead it offered a 25 per cent discount on the bill to £191. N.G, Leeds

Helen Crane replies: Ah, young love. Those who grew up with landline phone bills - or mobile credit that could run out - might struggle to fathom how your son could make this mistake. 

However, you explained your son - no doubt like many other young people - has had an 'unlimited' phone contract with EE since the age of 10. 

That means everything from calls to messages and data is included, with no restrictions, for a flat monthly fee. 

If that is all he has ever known, I can understand how he might not realise it would cost so much to chat with his girlfriend down under. 

But should EE refund you for his mistake? 

You argue that it was an innocent error, and that if he or you had known about the 'add on' you could buy to make international calls cheaper you would have used it.  

You also told me you will leave EE for another provider, which offers an NHS discount, if it forces you to pay the charge. 

I got in touch to ask if it would reconsider.

An EE spokesman said: 'Calling an international destination, like Australia, from your EE mobile can generate higher call charges and we offer a range of add-ons that provide the best international call rates for our customers. 

'Our website has a calling abroad calculator for customers to check the cost of international calls before they dial and also recommends an international call add-on to offer them the best value for money call rates for that destination.'

'We have reviewed Neil's account and charges are correct based on his son's call. We have decided to offer a 25 per cent reduction for calls made to Australia to Neil as a goodwill gesture, which he has accepted. 

'We encourage all customers to check the cost of international calls before they dial.'

Sadly, it seems you will still be paying the price for your son's romantic gesture.