Cybercriminals target people through fraudulent phone calls (phone scams) to gain access to secret information that they could steal to commit crimes.
Phone scams are widespread. Learn how to protect yourself from phone scams in our handy guide.
EASY AS HACK
Remember the Take Five national campaign to stop fraud: Stop, challenge and protect.[1]
At a glance
The chances are that it’s a phone scam if you can answer yes to any of these questions:
- Was the call unexpected?
- Is the caller asking for personal or financial information?
- Did they ask for proof of identity?
- Are they pressurising you to act now?
Hang up and report to Action Fraud.
what are phone scams?
Phone scams are known as voice phishing or ‘vishing’ fraud[2]. It works like this: a cyber-criminal (scammer) will call you, pretending to be someone official, like the police, your bank, insurer or a government agency like HMRC.
These fraudsters often sound friendly and convincing. However, they aim to trick you into giving away private or sensitive information or control of your computer[3]. You can’t avoid a phone scam, but you can protect yourself by being able to recognise it and know what to do.
ways to protect yourself from phone scams
According to Ofcom, most people in the UK have been the victim of an attempted phone scam[4]. The reason is that mobile phones give cyber-criminals access to information they can steal.
Scammers don’t just target mobiles. They also call landlines and other communication channels to access their victims, including texts and mobile app messages[5].
You can help to protect yourself from suspicious phone calls if you follow these cybersecurity measures.
anSWERING CALLS
Scammers impersonate even the most trusted organisations, including insurance companies, banks, the police and the tax office.
Don’t answer calls from people who aren’t in your contacts list and avoid interacting with callers as it may encourage more calls from scammers.
DON'T BE RUSHED
The call is likely to be a phone scam if the caller pressurises you to act fast. The Money Advice Service says it’s because “criminals don’t want to spend ages committing a crime, no matter what it is”[6]. This tactic also stops you from thinking clearly about what you’re doing.
Politely say you’ll call the company back later, using a number from your records or the company’s website.
DON'T share your payment details
It’s not unusual for genuine companies to call their customers. Sometimes, Ageas will contact you about payments, such as when you change your policy or need to pay an outstanding balance.
However, never share your financial details if you find the call suspicious. Insurance companies will never ask you to transfer funds to their accounts or control your computer remotely.
return calls from a trusted number
Remember, to avoid a phone scam, call a known number, such as 101 for the police. If you’re calling Ageas, phone us using the number on your policy documents or from this website.
Fraudsters may try to reassure you by saying they will hang up and for you to call them back. In reality, the line remains open even when you have hung up. The scammer will press ‘mute’ and wait on the line [7]
beware of missed call scams
Don’t call back unknown numbers that register as a missed call, as they may be premium rate numbers and calling back will cost you more than a normal call. Fraudsters often use 070, 076, 084, 087, 090, 091 or 118 numbers.
Go to your call log and delete the number so you don’t call it accidentally. Ofcom recommends avoiding direct-dial shortcuts and setting a screen lock. You can also contact your provider and bar calls to premium rates and international numbers.[8]
be cautious of certain ways to pay
Be suspicious of anyone who asks you to pay for goods or services by bank transfer, foreign currency, gift cards or cryptocurrency. It’s usually a scam.
don't trust cALLER ID
Caller ID is not proof of identity, so the caller may not be genuine even when displayed on your phone. Scammers may also call you from a spoofed UK mobile number to fool your caller ID into believing it’s authentic.
AGREE A SAFE PHRASE WITH FRIENDS AND FAMILY
Fraudsters use AI to generate false voices and pretend it’s someone you know. Agree a safe phrase with your family and friends. If the caller doesn’t know it, hang up.
REGISTER WITH THE TELEPHONE PREFERENCE SERVICE
Registering with TPS[9]allows you to opt out of unsolicited sales and marketing calls to your landline or mobile. After registering, you should not receive these phone calls again. So, if any get through, you’ll know they are suspiciousand you should be wary.
ADDITIONAL DEFENCES AGAINST SCAM CALLS
USE A VPN (VIRTUAL PRIVATE NETWORK)
Stealing personal data from your devices and using it when calling you to seem more convincing over the phone is a known tactic often used by phone scammers.
VPN encryption adds an extra defensive layer to your devices, protecting you when you send and receive data online especially when using public Wi-Fi. VPN hides your location and anonymises the data so criminals can’t intercept or trace it through your IP address.
CREATE HIGHLY SECURE PASSWORDS
A hacker could easily access your details if you use a non-secure password for an online shop. Afterwards, they can scam-call you and pretend to be from the shop or another company, gaining your trust by using your information to ‘confirm’ their identity before deceiving you.
The UK’s National Cyber Security Centre (NCSC) recommends several methods to create a highly secure password that’s easy to remember but hard for a hacker to guess:
- Change the manufacturer’s default password on your devices.
- Create a robust password using three random words, like ‘coffeetrainfish’.
- Use a password manager and keep it updated.
- Use a random string of characters and vary the case and character types without being obvious (when adding numbers, don’t use 123 or your birth date).
- Turn on password protection on your smartphone, tablet, laptop, and PC. Examples of password protection are fingerprint or face unlock, two-factor authentication (2FA) and a PIN.
avoid phishing emails
Fraudsters will attempt to gather information before a scam phone call by sending a phishing email. Fake emails may also install malware that monitors the communications on your device.
- Remember that banks and insurers will never email you, asking you to click on a link and confirm your bank details.
- Don’t trust emails even if they look genuine – check emails for clues, including poor grammar, spelling and punctuation and low-quality logos and graphics.
- Be wary of emails that don’t address you by name.
- Do not open any attachments or links in unexpected emails or texts.
- Call your insurer or bank using the phone number on its official website or official documentation with the number on it, such as a bank statement or letter.
common types of phone scam
Common phone scam deceptions include:
- Tricking you into handing over private or sensitive information like your bank details to commit identity theft
- Asking for your PIN, password or to transfer money to a different account
- Telling you that you’ve won a prize that’s ‘too good to be true’, but you need to pay delivery charges first
- Impersonating a police officer investigating fraud on your bank account and persuading you to transfer money into a ‘safe’ account they can steal.
bank scams
Suspect any calls supposedly from your bank or the police about fraudulent use of your bank account or bank cards, including asking for your PIN and telling you to give them your bank card.
The bank and the police would never do this.
mobile virus scams
A fraudster may cold-call you, telling you that your device has a virus and you must download software to fix it. When you’ve downloaded the remote access tool program to your device, scammers gain access to your online information.
tax and national insurance scams
Another common scare tactic is to pretend to be the HMRC. An automated call will say HMRC is taking you to court, and you need to pay by pressing 1 to speak to a caseworker. Always verify using a known number.
sms phishing (smishing)
Never click on a link sent via a text message unexpectedly as they can often infect your device. Fraudsters using SMS phishing or smishing may claim to be from your phone provider or bank.
insurance phone scams
You could fall foul of scam emails, calls and texts from people claiming to be from your insurance company and trying to get your personal details. Other scams include ‘ghost brokers’ selling fake motor insurance policies, persuading you to invest in schemes or removing cash in your pension[10].
If you suspect a call from Ageas is not authentic, please hang up. Then phone us using the number on your policy documents or this website. Never use the number the caller has provided.
how to report scam phone calls
You should contact Action Fraud to report a phone scam or get advice. Its number is 0300 123 2040.
Report the scam to your bank if you receive a call about your bank account or credit card that concerns you.
For general insurance fraud, contact the Insurance Fraud Bureau on 0800 422 0421 or its website.
You can report suspicious phone calls about tax through the HMRC website, forward spam text messages to 60599 or report phishing to HMRC at phishing@hmrc.gov.uk.
what to do if you've been scammed
Many people feel embarrassed if they’ve been scammed, but scams are crimes that can happen to anyone.
We’re here to help if you think you somebody pretending to be calling from Ageas has scammed you. Please get in touch as soon as possible and we can chat about how we can support you.
Being the victim of a crime can be traumatic. You can report the crime to the police, who should put you in touch with the charity Victim Support. It provides independent, free and confidential advice. You can also contact it directly by calling its helpline on 08 08 16 89 111 or through its live chat service or online forms.
how to spot an insurance scam call
You can spot an insurance scam call by looking out for the following red flags:
- The call was unexpected or unsolicited
- A request for personal or financial information
- Callers asking you to share a PIN or one-time passcode
- Someone requesting remote access to your laptop or PC
- When they ask for proof of identity
- Organisations supposedly offering you a refund, grant, tax rebate or a prize.
- Impatience and pushy behaviour, including threats and a minimal response time
- Pushing the idea that something is scarce and you have to act now
Search the number on Google to see if it is legitimate. Consider that scammers can also use fake websites to make their claims seem authentic.
If you’re starting your claim to Ageas over the phone, you can set up a password. Ask the caller to use the password to confirm that they are from Ageas. We can also use the password to check that we’re talking to the correct person.
Sources
[1] www.takefive-stopfraud.org.uk
[3] www.stopthinkfraud.campiagn.gov.uk
[4] www.ofcom.org.uk
[5] www.ofcom.org.uk
[8] www.ofcom.org.uk
