Fraudsters are impersonating telephone service providers and contacting people offering mobile phone upgrades on a low monthly payment contract.
How does this fraud work?
Fraudsters are cold calling members of the public and offering non-existent mobile phone upgrades for really low monthly contracts.
After convincing victims to make a purchase, the fraudsters ask for personal and financial details. Armed with this information they will then contact a genuine phone provider and order a new mobile phone handset using victim details.
In most reported cases the fraudsters will either intercept the delivery before it reaches the victim’s address or order the handset to a different address.
How to protect yourself
- Never give your personal information to a third party from an unsolicited communication.
- Obtain the genuine number of the organisation being represented and verify the legitimacy of the communication.
- If the offer is too good to be true it probably is.
- If you have provided personal information and you are concerned that your identity may be compromised consider Cifas Protection Registration.
To report a fraud and receive a police crime reference number, call Action Fraud on 0300 123 2040 or use our online fraud reporting tool.
