How to stay safe from scam callers

[StephenF]

At TalkTalk, we work hard to stop our customers losing money to scam callers. Part of our work is to understand how scam calls work, and the methods that scammers use to trick people into handing over money. We’ve put together some practical advice about how you can stay safe from scam calls and how you can help others to stay safe too.

How to spot a scam call

Here are the 3 most common tricks used by scammers:

1. Scam calls claiming to be from TalkTalk almost always come from Kolkata in India

Be suspicious of any unexpected calls from someone you’ve never spoken to before. A lot of scam callers at the moment also claim to be from HMRC or Amazon. Remember – we will NEVER ask you to provide your full password – we’ll only ever ask for two digits in order to protect your security.

2. Scammers trick people into installing software that allows them to control their computer

The most common programs they use are Supremo and TeamViewer. If you are asked to install either of these programs, then it could be a scam. Remember – TalkTalk will NEVER ask you to install software on your computer, we will NEVER ask you to log into your online banking, and we will NEVER ask for your bank details to process a refund.

3. Most scam calls start with an automated message

The message says that fraudulent activity has been detected, press 1 to speak to an agent, or press 2 to terminate your line. Using automated messages is easier for the scammers because they can wait for their phone to ring rather than wait for you to answer.

Remember – if in doubt, hang up and call us back.

How to beat the scammers

All TalkTalk customers have CallSafe, a FREE security feature, as part of their package. Customers can activate this service in My Account.

CallSafe automatically screens calls before they are put through. Genuine callers can announce who they are, and you can choose whether to accept their call. You can even add their number to your safe list, so they get straight through next time. Automated message calls can't get through, and other nuisance callers don't usually bother to announce themselves.

Speak to your friends and relatives to make them aware of how to spot scam calls and keep themselves safe. And remember, if they are TalkTalk customers, they can activate our FREE CallSafe security service to stop any unwanted calls.