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45 million people targeted by scam calls and texts this summer


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45 million people targeted by scam calls and texts this summer

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The telecoms regulator found that more than eight in 10 (82%) people said they had received a suspicious message, in the form of either a text, recorded message, or live phone call. This represents about 44.6 million adults in the UK.

About half reported getting a scam call or text at least once a week.

A survey of 2,000 adults in September found that almost a million people had been misled by a message or a call which they received.

Text scams are most common among 16 to 34-year-olds, with two-thirds receiving one between June and August.

The elderly is more often targeted using their landlines, with 61% of those over 75 receiving a scam phone call, but all ages are at risk.

UK residents who believe they have been targeted, or are the victim of a scam, can report a text message by forwarding it to 7726 - the numbers on the keypad that have the letters for spam on them.

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However, Ofcom found that 79% of mobile phone users were unaware of that service.

Lindsey Fussell, Ofcom’s networks and communications group director urged the public not to reply to messages which do not seem quite right.

"Criminals who defraud people using phone and text scams can cause huge distress and financial harm to their victims, and their tactics are becoming increasingly sophisticated," she said.

“Stay alert to any unsolicited contact. Put the phone down if you have any suspicion that it is a scam call, and don’t click on any links in text messages you’re unsure about. Report texts to 7726 and scam calls to Action Fraud or Police Scotland.”

Rocio Concha, Which? director of policy and advocacy, said: “This latest research reinforces how dramatically scam calls and texts have risen during the pandemic – with fraudsters relentless in their efforts to trick people into giving away their money and personal information.

“Businesses and the telecoms industry must do more to protect consumers, by making it harder for fraudsters to exploit systemic weaknesses to reach potential victims and by improving how they use telecommunications to reach their customers.”

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