Grime Gran is fronting a new EE campaign guiding Brits to trust their gut and hang up on scammers, saying fraudsters don’t deserve your conversation or courtesy
Grime Gran is using her trademark no-nonsense charm to help Brits slam the phone down on scammers this Christmas after revealing how fraudsters targeted her own family.
The 80-year-old internet icon has teamed up with EE and etiquette experts Debrett’s to launch a new scam-safety guide created to protect people over the festive season, when calls and texts from criminals spike across the UK.
The campaign reframes old-school British manners for the digital age, making it clear that hanging up on a suspicious call isn’t rude – it can protect your savings. Speaking to The Mirror, Margie Keefe – better known as Grime Gran – said she was driven to join the project after seeing first-hand how damaging scam calls can be, especially for older people.
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Her sister-in-law, who’s in her 90s, was recently targeted by criminals who drained her bank account and used the money to book three flights to Dublin. The experience left her shaken, unwell and terrified the scammers might return.
“She [her sister-in-law] is in her 90s and it made her ill, though she was lucky – she did get it back but the cheeky buggers used it to book three flights to Dublin and she was so scared.”
“She always wonders will they phone her back, they do a bit of damage these calls.”
Margie was devastated to hear what happened to her sister-in-law and uses advice from her family members and the EE etiquette to protect herself as much as possible
“I don’t engage in conversation with them at all if I get a spam call,” she said. “If people don’t say ‘hello Margie’ then I don’t say a word. As soon as they speak, I just hang up,” she said.
Margie said scammers rely on conversation, panic and guilt to trap people, adding: “The more time you’re giving them the more they’re convincing you – if you’re a bit vulnerable, they’re catching you out.”
She warned scammers are “catching someone every day,” especially at Christmas – a time when people are stressed, distracted and busy.
“A lot of people get so embarrassed,” she added. “They think people are going to think they’re stupid. But you’re not stupid – it’s so easy to get caught out.”
That’s exactly why alongside the campaign EE has launched Mind Your Manners – a modern etiquette guide endorsed by Debrett’s and delivered with Grime Gran’s blunt humour.
The brand says it blocks millions of suspicious calls and texts every month, with its network identifying over one million calls a day as potential fraud or spam. Over the last 12 months, the wider BT Group has blocked 1.6 billion attempted attacks on malicious domains, stopped 200 million scam texts, blocked 61 million scam calls and flagged 175 million nuisance and fraud calls. However, the risk is still prominent – but their guide will help people protect themselves this winter season.
Debrett’s Director Rupert Wesson said: “Today, good manners include knowing how to stop a suspicious call or report a strange text. We’re proud to endorse this guidance – protecting yourself is not impolite, it’s entirely proper.”
And Margie echoed the message in her own no-nonsense style “I don’t sugar-coat things – scammers don’t deserve your time or your manners. If something feels off, don’t play ball. Simple. This guide gives everyone the confidence to beat the scammers.”
With families hosting, travelling and spending more than ever over Christmas, the hope is that Grime Gran’s straight talking will give people guide to shut scams down.
