O2 issues ‘discount’ scam warning to customers

Fraudsters calling subscribers with fake offer of 30 per cent off mobile bills, company warns

O2 has more than 30m customers across the UK (PA)

UK telecoms giant Virgin Media O2 has warned its customers that scammers could try to steal their personal details by calling them with bogus offers of “discounts” on their mobile phone bills.

According to the company, which has more than 30m subscribers in Britain, fraudsters have been cold-calling its customers with an offer of 30 per cent off their current deal, informing them they will be sent a follow-up text message containing a one-time passcode.

On no account should the recipient of the call read back the code, O2 warns, because it has been triggered by the fraudster using the company website to impersonate them in order to claim they have forgotten their login details.

If a customer does comply with the caller and give them the code, they will then be able to access the victim’s account and potentially order a new phone in the real customer’s name.

The latter then faces being charged for the handset until they can report it as fraud, by which point the scammer will have the device anyway.

The company warns that the scam can be difficult to spot because the text containing the code is sent from an official O2 number, albeit at the instigation of the fraudster. A preliminary message will also go out before it arrives warning: “If someone’s calling you and asking for a code, please end the call because they DO NOT work for O2.”

“At Virgin Media O2, we’re constantly investing to help better protect our customers from scams but unfortunately, we know that full-time fraudsters are always looking for new ways to target our customers,” said the company’s head of fraud Liam Rawsthorne.

“If you receive a call offering a deal or significant discount on your mobile contract that sounds too good to be true, it probably is – so taking a moment to pause is always the best course of action.

“Our staff will never pressure you into accepting a deal right then and there or call you to ask for your one-time passcode over the phone so never share it with an unexpected caller, no matter how legitimate they seem.

“When in doubt, always clam up, hang up and call us back. Our offers will never have a five-minute time limit, so you won’t miss out on any genuine deals – but you might just swerve the scammers.”

If you believe you have been contacted by a scammer you can report it to Action Fraud in England and Wales by calling 0300 123 2040 or via the organisation’s website.

If you’re in Scotland, you can report a suspected scam to Advice Direct Scotland on 0808 164 6000 or via its website.

Scam emails can also be forwarded to report@phishing.gov.uk and dodgy text messages passed on to 7726 at no charge.