Martin Lewis, founder of MoneySavingExpert, has issued a stark warning after revealing he almost fell victim to a sophisticated scam call from someone impersonating Amazon. The ITV broadcaster and finance expert admitted that even someone hyper-alert to scams can be caught off guard.
How the Scam Unfolded
Posting on social media and the MoneySavingExpert website on July 16, Lewis described the incident: 'I was in the studio, rushed in between recording my two podcasts. I got a WhatsApp call from 'Amazon'.' The caller claimed there had been suspected fraud involving a new iPhone and instructed Lewis to enter a six-digit code to cancel the order.
With his 'brain elsewhere' due to the pressure of recording, Lewis initially engaged with the caller. However, alarm bells began to ring. He said: 'I said I wanted to first check that this call was legit [and] he got pushy, saying if I didn't send the code he wouldn't stop the iPhone being sent.'
The Warning Signs
Lewis questioned why Amazon would risk sending a high-value item if the customer denied ordering it. A quick search of the phone number confirmed it was a known 'Amazon scam number'. He explained: 'Clearly, had I replied with the code he'd sent, he would have then asked for further details, and that would've started the data mine. Of course, by answering, I did inadvertently confirm that my number is a real one, so I'll have to cope with that.'
Key Lesson for the Public
The MoneySavingExpert founder emphasised that the real lesson is how sophisticated and plausible the scam was. 'The real lesson here is how sophisticated and plausible it was. Anyone can be caught out,' he said. Lewis added that even though he is 'hyper-alert to scams', catching someone at the wrong time can make all the difference.
How to Protect Yourself from Scam Calls
To reduce the risk of falling for such scams, Lewis and experts recommend using your phone's built-in filters or carrier-level AI protection. Letting the call ring out is safer than hanging up manually, as pressing decline can still alert scammers that the number is active. After the call, block the number from your recent call log.
On an iPhone, go to Settings, Phone, and enable Silence Unknown Callers to send unknown numbers straight to voicemail. For Android users, find the Caller ID and Spam option in Settings and enable Filter Spam Calls to automatically block suspected fraudsters. Opting out of marketing lists can also reduce the number of unwanted calls.
