Mobile phone customers are urged to be wary of a stark rise in five types of scam calls. Network provider O2’s new AI protection service has flagged more than 50 million fraudulent calls per month since its launch in November, and some tactics fraudsters have used are becoming increasingly common.
Murray Mackenzie, director of fraud prevention at Virgin Media O2, said: “With more than 50 million suspected nuisance and scam calls now being flagged every month, we’re empowering O2 customers in the fight against fraud, arming them with important information when deciding whether to pick up the phone.” Mr Mackenzie said the company’s free Artificial Intelligence (AI) service is just one way the provider is working to keep customers safe, adding that it “builds on our work to block more than 168 million scam texts in the last two years alone.”
According to data from Virgin Media O2 and voice intelligence company Hiya, here are the top five scam call trends consumers “need to watch out for”.
HMRC – Both live and prerecorded robocalls threatening legal action for unpaid taxes.
Amazon – Scammers impersonating Amazon customer support, claiming 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.
VISA/Mastercard – Scammers claiming a fraudulent charge or an issue is processing a payment. Their goal is 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 are making frequent purchases and may be more likely to believe an urgent payment-related alert.
Immigration – calls claiming to be from “the immigration bureau” warning of an expired visa.
Mobile-related scams – calls offering significant but fake discounts on their contracts or new devices.
With scammers posing as some of the most trusted companies in the UK, Virgin Media O2 has called on Britons to “remain vigilant” and report suspected scams to 7726.
By doing so, the telecom company can investigate and block the mobile numbers used by fraudsters and use the scam texts and numbers to help refine its blocking services, making it easier to identify new trends and block messages faster.
More than 168 million texts have been blocked over the past two years, in part thanks to reports to 7726.
O2’s new AI service, Call Defence, alerts network customers on their phone screens if a number is suspected of being linked to a scam. Since the roll-out in November 2024, data shows these kinds of calls are being answered 42% less often and are 89% shorter than unflagged calls.
Alex Algard, CEO and founder of Hiya, said: “Virgin Media O2 is taking decisive steps to protect its customers from the growing threat of fraud and nuisance calls. By using Hiya’s Adaptive AI to stay ahead of scammers, they’re not just making communication safer – they’re restoring trust in the phone call itself.
“We’re proud to partner with Virgin Media O2 as they set a new standard for a modern, secure, and trusted voice network.”
