Summer of the scammers: 45m had suspicious messages or calls

SCAMMERS targeted nearly 45 million people with fraudulent texts and phone calls over the summer, the telecoms watchdog has found.

More than eight in 10 people received a suspicious text, recorded message or live phone call to a landline or mobile over the past three months, the survey by Ofcom found.

Text scams were the most common, with 71 per cent saying they had received a suspicious message. Nearly half of those sent a suspicious text reported receiving such a message at least once a week.

Ofcom also found that landline users were being plagued with fraudulent calls, with older people particularly susceptible. Some 61 per cent of people aged 75 and over reported receiving a potential scam call to their landline.

More than half of those who received a suspect text either deleted the message (53 per cent) or blocked the number (52 per cent), and around half of those who received a dubious live voice call or recorded message did the same.

However, in the past three months alone, 2 per cent – almost a million people – said they had followed the instructions in a scam message or call.

Many of the text messages are sent by criminals who use shop-bought SIM cards to send millions of messages from UK numbers. The messages often purport to be from trusted organisations including Royal Mail, HMRC and parcel delivery firms.

Earlier this year a National Crime Agency chief criticised mobile phone companies for their failure to crack down on scammers. Graeme Biggar, the director general of the National Economic Crime Centre, said investigators wanted to see “a more consistent effort” from networks to tackle the problem.

Mobile network EE yesterday announced it had blocked 18,000 SIM cards after detecting some 42million scam text messages since July. The Btowned firm has invested millions in a new anti-spam filter which can identify and limit the spread of scams, after some customers were tricked into parting with thousands of pounds.

Scanning technology looks out for certain traits, such as the construct of the message and whether the number is sending out huge volumes, as well as looking out for dubious web addresses.

The number of EE customers reporting scams since the system was introduced has fallen by 85 per cent.

Christopher Howe, BT’S customer care change director, said: “Sadly we have seen a number of customers who have fallen into financial hardship or, certainly, had a significant financial impact because of this.

“It’s the age-old story – they’ve provided personal details or banking details and that scammer has then really impacted them; that’s why it’s so important for us to protect our customers.”

The Ofcom research showed 79 per cent of mobile phone users were not aware of the 7726 number to report a suspected scam text or call.

Lindsey Fussell, Ofcom’s networks and communications group director, said: “Put the phone down if you have any suspicion that it is a scam call, and don’t click on any links in text messages that you’re unsure about.

“Report texts to 7726 and scam calls to Action Fraud or Police Scotland.”