Trading Standards - Phone Contract Scams

17th January 2025

Customers of various phone providers have recently received cold calls where they are offered an upgrade or discount of up to 50% on their phone bills. If they accept, they are asked to confirm their account details.

One customer with O2 was called and offered a new deal, which would give her more data and a 25% discount on her mobile phone bills. The caller asked for her email address and direct debit details, supposedly as a 'security check'. The customer became suspicious when the caller told her she was also eligible to receive a free Apple product, but asked for a payment of £14 to pay for secure delivery. She hung up and contacted O2, who confirmed that they had not made the call.

In some cases, if a customer has provided their account details they will then receive a text message with a one-time passcode, which they are asked to give to the caller.

The scammer can then use this passcode to log in to the customer's account, which could potentially allow them to take out contracts in the customer's name.

Phone providers such as O2 will never ask customers for passcodes, passwords, pin numbers or bank details over the phone.

How to Avoid
If someone phones unexpectedly and says they work for your phone provider, do not give them any details and don't provide any passcodes, passwords or pin numbers.
If in doubt about your account, log in via the official website or app rather than following a link.

Be wary of any cold call where you are offered a discount, prize or anything else that sounds too good to be true. Before providing any details, hang up and call the company on a trusted number to verify the information.

Find out more
ScamShare PDF on phone scams: www.tsscot.co.uk/Phone-Scam-Information.pdf
Episode of Scam Interceptors on BBC iPlayer with more information about how this scam works: www.bbc.co.uk/iplayer/episode/p0gd4h9n/scam-interceptors-series-2-11-hunting-the-o2-fakers