Plea for action to prevent “explosion” of fraud phone calls
Fraudsters are costing the UK economy up to £190 billion each year, research reveals.
Director General of the National Crime Agency’s National Economic Crime Centre, Graeme Biggar, says that the UK needs “a step-change in our response” to fraud.
Describing the increased number of criminals spoofing phone numbers in the last 12 months as an “explosion”, Biggar believes that “phone companies have been used for fraud since they’ve been invented and it’s a constant arms race to stop vulnerabilities and then stop them.”
However, these phone companies have expressed that they are committed to acting over these nuisance callers.
According to a recent report from industry body UK Finance, the number of reported impersonation fraud cases, including spoof calls, last year nearly doubled to 40,000. Although, the real figure is likely to be much higher due to many victims not reporting it to their bank, building society or even telling their friends or family because of embarrassment or guilt.
Biggar states that “With HMRC scams alone, more than 2,700 numbers have been taken out of circulation after they’ve been reported, but there is definitely a lot more that the phone companies need to do and can do.”
Earlier this year, the level of fraud in the UK was labelled a “threat to national security” with the numbers ever-increasing.
What is number spoofing?
The communications regulator, Ofcom suggests that those who deliberately change the telephone number and name that is displayed as the Caller ID information are most likely number spoofing.
Why do they do this?
“They do this to either hide their identity or to try to mimic the number of a real company or person who has nothing to do with the real caller,” explains Ofcom.
“For example, identity thieves who want to steal sensitive information such as your bank account or login details sometimes use spoofing to pretend they’re calling from your bank or Credit Card Company.”
How can I protect myself?
When receiving a phone call from your bank, the police, a Government department, or another trusted source requesting personal or banking details, do not assume it is genuine.
Give yourself time to check the organisation’s phone number by looking at a bill, letter, bank statement or calling the organisation using the details you are familiar with to check whether what you have been told is genuine.
If you are concerned about a suspicious phone call, report this activity to HMRC via email: report@phishing.gov.uk, or text 60599.
For more assistance or information on fraud phone calls, contact our expert team at Joshua Leigh & Co
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