O2 issues urgent text message alert to UK phone | Tech News

Anyone with a smartphone may need to watch out for a quantity of faux texts that seem to be doing the rounds. Virgin Media O2 says it has not too long ago seen a ‘important rise’ within the quantity of messages being despatched to gadgets – and getting caught out by these scams could possibly be pricey. Tricks that seem to be on the rise embrace faux prize scams, parking ticket texts, recruitment messages and the notorious “Hi mum” assault. This is the place the scammers ship a message pretending to be a member of the family in hassle after which ask for money. It’s a tactic that is already value customers a whole lot of hundreds of kilos.

Despite blocking more than 600 million dodgy texts in a bid to keep it clients secure, O2 continues to be urging customers to watch out.

“Scammers aren’t sticking to previous methods; they’re evolving fast, tapping into trending information and concentrating on susceptible people with faux prizes, job provides and financial compensation schemes,” Murray Mackenzie, Director of Fraud Prevention at Virgin Media O2, said.

“At Virgin Media O2 we’re doing everything we can and have already blocked more than 600 million scam texts from reaching our customers so far this year.

“But with fraud continuing to increase, we’re reminding people to remain vigilant; always be careful when you receive a call or text out of the blue, don’t share personal details with anyone and report suspicious messages for free to 7726.”

It’s now vital that all UK phone users pay attention to their devices and watch out for these 5 attacks.

Gambling / fake prize scams

These messages usually suggest a prize has been won, with one recent example saying, “Your account is now loaded with GBP500 plus 150 FreeSpins. Redeem and play immediately”. As the old saying goes, if it looks too good to be true, it usually is.

Hi Mum/Hi Dad

This is one of the most common scams and has been hugely successful for hackers.  Messages usually start with, “Hey mum save my new quantity” or “Hi Dad, did you get this?”

Once a victim starts responding, the crooks try to get money and it’s cost some thousands of pounds.

Fake parking fines

Express.co.uk recently reported on the rise of parking scams. Messages are sent out suggesting a fine hasn’t been paid with a link then included which takes users to an official-lookinhg government website.

Recruitment scams

With people always looking for work, recruitment scams continue to rise. Here’s an example of a text to watch out for.

“Hello, my identify is Grace Mitchell, and I’m the Human Resources Manager at Serviceplan Group.

“We have reviewed your profile on several online recruitment platforms. Currently, we are offering a flexible part-time position that you can complete during your spare time.

“The each day income ranges from ¬£80 to ¬£300, with cost made instantly upon completion of the info optimisation.”

Car Finance mis-sold

The recent news about car finance may have some thinking that they might be due a payout. That could be correct but it’s also giving cyber crooks a new way to try and scam people. Here’s the type of message to beware of.

“Our information point out you could possibly be owed up to ¬£2,382.58 in mis-sold car finance. Check at no cost”