All O2 users issued with stark warning as major | Tech News

Cyber crooks aren’t giving up on attempting to rip-off UK cellphone homeowners. In reality, the problem of messaging assaults seems to be getting worse, with Virgin Media O2 simply confirming that it has now managed to dam a whopping 1 billion pretend texts from arriving on prospects’ gadgets.

The telecoms giant says it’s utilizing new risk detection technology to stop malicious messages from being delivered on its community.

That’s boosted by help from users who are actually are capable of share any messages they obtain – by way of the 7726 free reporting service – that seem suspicious.

O2 is warning that online thieves proceed to assault cellphone users at an alarming price with 600 million rip-off messages blocked since January alone – that is more than 1,300 a minute.

It’s clearly excellent news that so many texts are being stopped of their tracks, however cellphone users nonetheless need to remain alert, with O2 confirming that, regardless of investing hundreds of thousands in counter fraud measures, “telecoms company customers are continuously targeted”.

Getting caught out by a pretend message could possibly be expensive. Online fraudsters usually use these rip-off texts in a bid to steal high-value telephones or to entry buyer knowledge. This personal data can then be used to perpetrate additional fraud elsewhere.

In a bid to stop more people changing into victims, Virgin Media O2 is now urging the federal government to put law enforcement on the coronary heart of its new Fraud Strategy, which is because of be launched this yr.

With fewer than 4,000 prosecutions in 2024, Virgin Media O2 argues fraudsters can proceed to commit crimes with out consequence as a result of police forces are usually not given enough energy and sources to counter skilled gangs.

It’s calling for pressing motion from authorities to make fraud a strategic precedence by means of creating a devoted, centralised national policing company to deal with all fraud investigations.

“That we’ve had to intervene to block 1 billion scam texts shows the scale of the organised crime gangs we’re up against,” explained Murray Mackenzie, Director of Fraud Prevention at Virgin Media O2.

“Scammers are relentlessly targeting Brits and, despite the investments we’re making to stay one step ahead, sadly fraud is the biggest crime in the UK.

“We must send a clear message that fraud is not a crime without consequence. Government must use its forthcoming Fraud Strategy to empower law enforcement by giving them the tools and resources needed to show fraud doesn’t pay and bring these criminals to justice.”

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