Blocking scam callers and reading the small print are among the most effective ways to avoid falling victim to broadband scams, according to Uswitch.com, the comparison and switching service.
Uswitch broadband expert, Max Beckett shares his top tips for staying prepared against broadband scams:
1. Prevention is better than a cure – If you’re signing up for something online, the most effective way to ensure you don’t get unwelcome calls is to look very carefully at the checkboxes you’re asked to tick. Sometimes ticking a certain box could give the service provider freedom to share your details with a number of other companies, who could then share your details to further telephone sales companies.
If you want to make absolutely sure you don’t get these calls, you have to look very closely at the companies you allow to contact you. If the small print mentions ‘trusted parties’ or ‘third parties’, you could be allowing the company to pass on your details to them at will.
2. Change your settings to block these calls – On an iPhone, you can easily block numbers by hitting the ‘i’ symbol beside it. You can then manage blocked numbers by going to your phone settings and choosing the Phone option. You’ll then be able to click into a list of numbers that are blocked on your iPhone.
On Android phones like Samsung or Sony, you can easily block numbers in the call log by selecting the ‘more’ or the three dots symbol where you can add to a reject list. You’ll then be given the option to add the number to your reject list, which should stop the nuisance calls and texts. Alternatively, you’ll see an option to block a number when you hang up.
3. Use an app to block numbers – While you can block individual numbers in your phone settings, there are plenty of free apps out there that will give you more control over who contacts you.
‘Hiya’, formerly known as WhitePages, automatically identifies over 400 million nuisance numbers every month and will help you safely identify the ones you want to accept. Other appsthat are safe to download include Mr Number, Truecaller and YouMail Visual Voicemail.
Before downloading any application always be sure to check the privacy policies, and only download content from trusted sources, e.g., the Apple Store.
4. Your broadband provider is highly unlikely to call you out of the blue – Remember that if there is an issue with your router or broadband, your ISP won’t always know about them automatically. You would need to contact customer support to report any problem. If a problem was seen with your batch of routers, your ISP may contact you via your registered email account, but not through an unexpected phone call.
If there was a problem with your router, there are simple checks to be done before checking the router itself. All legitimate, trained broadband customer service representatives will ask a customer to run these when contacted. Remember this.
What should you do if you suspect a scam?
1. Know the right things to ask if you suspect a scammer has contacted you – Your broadband provider is unlikely to call you out of the blue. Ask yourself, are you expecting this call? If not, assume that it’s a scam.
Ask the caller who your broadband provider is. If they don’t know, or the answer is something vague like Openreach, then the call is unlikely to be genuine. Legitimate BT customer support staff would not refer to your provider as ‘BT Openreach’. Ask them what model your router is. If it is a generic answer such as ‘BT Hub’ then be wary. If there was a problem, as they claim, they would already know straight away. Always ask why – if they call you, the caller shouldn’t be asking any personal questions, especially not bank details or passwords. Never give out any of this information.
2. Google the phone number that you received the call from – If it is a number associated with your provider, it will be made obvious. If it’s showing results used for a scam, be wary.
3. It’s always better to be safe than sorry – If you are unsure, it’s always better to be safe than sorry. Explain to the caller that you are busy and will contact your provider’s customer service team directly after. If the caller is genuine, they will understand and allow this. And be wary of any urgent tone at this point, as legitimate callers from your provider are trained not to become irate.
Some scammers will attempt to keep the line open so they can pretend to be the company, so if possible, call your provider on another phone or use another method of communication such as a live chat. You could call someone else after alternatively to clear the line first.
Eight tell-tale signs of a broadband scam call:
- Saying they’ve found a problem with your computer and need access
- Asking for banking or card information, your PIN code, or a password
- Mentioning anything related to PayPal or money transfers
- Stating your broadband had been hacked
- Mentioning your IP address and saying it’s been compromised
- Demanding or asking for anything
- Having an urgent or demanding tone
- Saying phrases such as ‘we are calling from your service provider’
Max Beckett, broadband expert at Uswitch, comments:“According to the ICO, broadband-related calls now rank as the most common scam type, with 1,730 broadband-related nuisance calls being recorded between December 2021 and May 2022. Usually these scams take the form of callers claiming to be from Openreach, declaring that there are issues with your router and asking for your details.
Most of us will be used to getting junk calls on our mobiles. But with phishing scams becoming more and more sophisticated, it’s important to stay vigilant against unsolicited contact from someone claiming to be your provider.
Falling victim to broadband fraud can be easily prevented if you take the necessary precautions, which include blocking nuisance calls before they have the chance to cost you any time or money”.
