Stay Ahead of the Scammers and Protect Your Phone.
Follow our guide to phone safety and you will be able to use your iPhone or android or internet phone without the worry.
Everyday we live with the threat of scams and that is nothing new. Yet recent indicators suggest that scams are still on the rise. Scammers are becoming more organised and are employing ever more sophisticated techniques to steal our personal information, identities and money. A large proportion of them are using phone calls to catch people off guard.
Ofcom, the UK’s communications regulatory body, has said that 45 million people were targeted last summer alone. Their research has shown that spoofing, which is when the caller uses a false number to acquire information, is a problem that needs to be dealt with. Ofcom has proposed new standards to protect people from both ‘spoofing’ and scammers with valid phone numbers.
These are the steps that they have proposed to help protect us.
Firstly, if you receive a suspicious text:
Stop! The text could be a scam. Read carefully and look for any details that don't seem right.
Don't click on any links or give out any personal or bank details.
Report any suspicious texts to 7726 and make your friends and family aware too.
Secondly, if you receive a suspicious phone call:
Stop! Do not give out any personal or bank details.
Hang up and call the company they claim to be from to check if it is a scam.
Report scam calls to Action Fraud and make your family aware too.
Report any incidents to 7726.
‘SPAM’ on an alphanumeric phone keypad.
You can forward any text to 7726 to let your mobile provider know the number is suspicious. It is up to them to investigate the number,so you needn’t take any further action. More information on how to report suspicious activity to 7726 can be found here in this guide.
This is the number that most major mobile phone companies use to allow their customers to report suspicious numbers to.
If you have already been Scammed:
If you think it’s too late and you have already become a victim of a scam or a fraud its recommended that you report it to Action Fraud as soon as possible. Call 0300 123 2040 or visit the Action Fraud website. Action Fraud is the reporting centre for fraud and cyber-crime in England, Wales and Northern Ireland. Reports of fraud and any other financial crime in Scotland should be made to Police Scotland via 101.
For more information
Head on over to the Ofcom website for more information on scams,fraud and unwanted calls and messages.
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