Customers are being made aware in a ‘top five’ alert
Virgin Media O2 has issued a warning to anyone using Amazon and HSBC Bank over an increasingly concerning trend they should be aware of. It comes as the telecommunications company has implemented a scheme that issues alerts on customers’ phone screens to lessen people’s risk.
The scheme, known as Call Defence, kicks in whenever a customer receives a call from an unknown number. It uses Adaptive AI to analyse a phone number and considers a wide range of data points in real time to determine whether a call could be a scam or spam.
If the call is deemed risky, customers are warned with a clear label on their phone screen. It acts as an early warning system, empowering customers by giving them the information they need to decide whether to answer the phone. Alongside labelling suspicious calls, the technology also blocks known fraudulent calls.
Virgin Media O2’s top five scam calls so far this year
New data from Virgin Media O2 provides insights into the companies most often impersonated by scammers and the methods they use to target victims over the phone. Anyone who regularly uses these companies’ services is urged to watch out for potential phone call scams:
- Amazon
- HMRC
- Banking
- Payment services – VISA
- Insurance
Virgin Media O2 says scammers impersonate Amazon customer support the most, claiming there’s an issue with an order or a fraudulent purchase. Their goal is to trick victims into providing account credentials or credit card information, often by urging them to verify details or resolve a fake problem. As for HSBC, Virgin Media O2 claims scammers use live and prerecorded robocalls to threaten legal action for unpaid taxes.
Murray Mackenzie, Director of Fraud Prevention at Virgin Media O2, said: “At Virgin Media O2, customers are our top priority, and we’re investing heavily to keep them safe from scams and ensure we’re a network they can rely on. This includes using the latest AI technology for good, to proactively stop fraudsters from getting to our customers.
“Having warned our customers about more than one billion calls, and prevented more than one billion dodgy messages from ever reaching them, today marks another milestone in our fight against fraudsters. With scammers stopping at nothing – impersonating well‑known brands and government departments – to earn victims’ trust, it’s never been more important to stay vigilant and report suspicious activity to 7726.”
O2 first launched the Call Defence service for its customers in November 2024, and today around 70 million calls every month are being labelled as suspected scam or spam. This is a significant increase since a year ago as more customers have unlocked the free benefit through device and software upgrades.
The company says the technology is helping customers stay safe. Calls labelled as ‘suspected scam’ are answered 42% less often and last 89% less time than unflagged calls.
In banking, fraudsters often phone potential victims, claiming to be from their bank’s fraud, security, or customer service team. Their goal is to trick them into handing over sensitive information, granting access to their accounts or transferring money to them ‘to keep it safe’.
With VISA, scammers may claim there’s a fraudulent charge or an issue processing a payment. Their goal is usually to trick victims into providing credit card information under the guise of resolving the problem. This type of scam is especially common during the holiday season, when people make frequent purchases and may be more likely to believe an urgent payment-related alert, Virgin Media O2 says.
Scammers may also impersonate insurance providers, claiming policy issues, missed payments or a new claim that requires urgent action. Their objective is to pressure victims into sharing personal details or payment information.
A Virgin Media O2 spokesperson said: “With scammers increasingly using realistic tactics and even harnessing new technologies, Virgin Media O2 is calling on Brits to remain vigilant about unexpected calls and report suspected scams to 7726.
“These reports are used by the telecoms company to investigate and block mobile numbers used by fraudsters, and also help it to help refine its blocking services, making it easier to identify new trends and block messages faster. O2 has blocked more than 1 billion scam messages to date, in part thanks to reports to 7726.”
