Virgin Media O2 has issued a warning to customers of Amazon, HSBC, and other major companies about a rise in phone scams. The telecommunications firm has identified the most commonly impersonated brands, including Amazon, HMRC, and banks, as fraudsters attempt to trick victims into sharing personal and financial information.
The company's Call Defence system, which uses adaptive AI to analyse incoming calls, alerts customers if a call is suspected to be a scam. Since its launch in November 2024, the service has labelled around 70 million calls per month as suspected scam or spam. Calls flagged as 'suspected scam' are answered 42% less often and last 89% less time than unflagged calls.
According to Virgin Media O2, scammers impersonating Amazon customer support often claim there is an issue with an order or a fraudulent purchase, aiming to obtain account credentials or credit card details. HMRC scams involve live or prerecorded robocalls threatening legal action for unpaid taxes. Banking scams see fraudsters posing as bank staff to trick victims into transferring money or handing over sensitive information.
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. This includes using the latest AI technology for good, to proactively stop fraudsters from getting to our customers.' He urged customers to report suspicious activity to 7726.
Virgin Media O2 has now flagged over 1 billion suspected scam calls and blocked more than 1 billion scam messages. The company advises Brits to remain vigilant about unexpected calls and to report any suspected scams to help refine blocking services.
