Protect Your Tech

Scammers pretending to be Ofcom

What’s the threat?

Fraudsters are phoning people claiming to be from Ofcom in an attempt to obtain their bank details, and connect them to expensive premium-rate phone numbers.

In one version of the con, the scammer tells you to pay an outstanding bill or payment on your phone or broadband service. You’re told that unless you hand over your bank details to pay, your service will be disconnected.

The second type of scam is an automated voice message that tells you there’s a problem with your phone or broadband service. You’re urged to press a number on your keypad to discuss it further with Ofcom. Doing so connects you to a high-cost premium number.

How can you stay safe?

All the usual rules apply: be extremely suspicious about calls received out of the blue, and never give your bank details over the phone. Ofcom says it will never call you without warning, nor ask for your payment details.

These calls are typical of common scams in which fraudsters request your bank details while posing as legitimate companies and organisations. Usually they pretend to be from bodies that you may have financial transactions with, such as HMRC, or your bank or internet service provider. As people become more sceptical about such calls, perhaps scammers are mimicking less obvious groups, such as Ofcom. They may hope that, as independent regulators, a threat from Ofcom carries more authority than from a company.

Another danger Ofcom warns about are missed-call scams, in which criminals use automated systems that dial mobile numbers but hang up immediately, leaving a missed-call message on your screen. If you ring back to find out who it was, you’re connected to a premium-rate number that will clock up an expensive bill. Visit Ofcom’s site for more details: www.snipca.com/30446.