Martin Lewis took to social media to tell followers that he accidentally answered a spam call.
The founder of Money Saving Expert, who is also a presenter on Good Morning Britain,has told viewers that he tries not to answer calls from numbers he does not know.
The money saving expert, 52, said that because he accidentally answered a phone call from a number he didn’t recognise this now meant scammers knew his number is real. Lewis told his followers on X that he now expects to become a scam target and warned others against doing the same.
On X, Lewis posted: “My mobile rang, a number I didn’t recognise. I answered.
“An obviously automated female voice said ‘I want to talk to you about work. Please add me on What’s App [sic]’.
“Then rang off. As I answered, they’ll now have logged that my number is real.
“So I (& anyone else who’s done the same) now need be vigilant for a wave of spam messages and calls coming my way’.”
Anyone who believes they have been a victim of a scam call should dial 159 to contact Stop Scams UK, an industry body supported by the Financial Conduct Authority and Ofcom, the communications regulator.
Lewis said scammers use automated technology which can impersonate companies or organisations. Answering a spam call signals that your number is active, and also mean the number is more likely to answer calls from unknown numbers – including more spam calls.
Last month Lewis has shared five simple, but crucial changes everyone with a mobile phone should make to prevent thieves accessing your bank accounts and personal date if it is stolen. During an episode of The Martin Lewis Money Show Live, the consumer champion warned that mobile phone theft has increased by 40 per cent in London and is rising across the UK.
He told ITV viewers: “There are thieves who want to access your finances by your phone. It is growing. It is dangerous. Protect yourself please people.”
His changes included:
- Use remote tracking apps to locate device and suspend payments
- Enable biometrics on both phone and banking app – if you use a pin, make sure they are not the same
- Dial *#06# to get your IMEI number, screenshot it and save it
- Turn off ‘preview notifications’ to protect your lockscreen
- Check out your phone’s extra security protections
The billionaire and money saving expert urged people to enable Face ID or fingerprint ID on your mobile phone and your banking app. He added: “If you’re not going to and you’re a pin code type person, please use different pin codes for the phone and the banking app. It’s called ‘shoulder surfing’ these days where people look over your shoulder to see your pin code and then if you use the same code for both, they can access your money.”
