Scam Callers Target Broadband ISP BT’s UK Digital Voice Switchover
Consumer magazine Which? has warned customers of UK broadband ISP BT (inc. EE) to be on alert for phone scammers who are now actively impersonating BT’s support agents in order to exploit the ongoing migration onto digital landlines (Digital Voice). The scammers do this by trying to con customers into sharing their financial (payment) details.
In this case, a growing number of consumers have reportedly been called by fake BT support agents, who will state that they need to confirm your personal and payment information to ensure the phone service can be migrated before a “January 2025 deadline” (this should actually be end of December 2025 for most people and 31st January 2027 for vulnerable users – here and here). But alternatively, they may also demand on-the-spot payments to move the phone service and threaten disconnection if refused.
The wide availability of personal data online, both via public systems and through past data breaches, means that savvy fraudsters may often already know some of your personal details before they call, which can make the scam sound much more convincing. Such scams are not new and have been on the rise over the past couple of years (here).
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The reality is that BT’s change to digital voice does not require any changes to your plan or bill, and your number won’t change either. The change itself, for most people, is quite straightforward when providers communicate it properly and support their customers correctly during the transition. But not everybody is as comfortable with the change, and it can be confusing for those who have spent a lifetime plugging their phones into the same old wall socket; particularly if they haven’t previously had a broadband service (your old handsets will now need to be plugged into a router or ATA device).
On top of that, there are still some long-standing problem areas, such as compatibility woes with third-party products and services (e.g. alarms and telecare services), many of which haven’t yet fully adapted to this change. BT and others are providing targeted support to resolve these issues, but it’s obviously also proving to be fertile grounds for scammers to exploit.
Tips to avoid scams include:
- If you receive a suspicious call, put the phone down and call back on a trusted number to verify the call
- If you mistakenly give a caller your bank account details, contact your bank immediately
- If you receive a suspicious call, report the call to BT here
- Block any suspicious numbers after you have reported them
Remember:
- Take a moment to stop and think. Trust your instincts. If it sounds too good to be true or is suspicious, there’s probably a catch
- Don’t stay on the phone unless you’re 100% sure the caller is genuine
- Don’t give away any of your personal details or give anyone access to your computer
Victims of such scams or fraudulent activity should also report it to Action Fraud on 0300 123 2040 or via their website, and/or contact your local trading standards team.
Mark is a professional technology writer, IT consultant and computer engineer from Dorset (England), he also founded ISPreview in 1999 and enjoys analysing the latest telecoms and broadband developments. Find me on X (Twitter), Mastodon, Facebook, BlueSky, Threads.net and Linkedin.
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Sadly, blocking a number is fairly pointless. It’s rare for a scammer to use the same number twice these days. I’m sure the regulator could do more. Most of my scam calls come from numbers managed by the same Telco.
I don’t recall a Jan2025 deadline. Only the original December 2025 deadline, which as you point out was later postponed by thirteen months to Jan 2027 as shown by both the above links to May 2024 articles.
The scammers will be claiming “this month” for the next 23 months, and eventually they’ll be correct.
As for vulnerable users… isn’t that what SOTAP/Pre-Digital is all about. Not really a separate deadline, except as far as the separate plan is to have the majority of people and their ISPs to be ‘All-IP” comfortably ahead of the Jan2027 cut-off, and for vulnerable / hard-to-reach people to be served by something which can be either upgraded or else switched to a pre-digital voice-only.
“change to digital voice does not require any changes to your plan or bill” – this is not true if your provider does not do digital voice. You will have to change provider or pay for the phone service with someone else separately. When I went on full fibre I switched from Plusnet to Vodafone because Plusnet do not do digital voice.
Technically it is possible to have VoIP service from any third party VoIP provider using existing ISP as a conduit. VoIP does not necessarily need to be served by an incumbent ISP.
However practical matters for most users mean that, unless an end user has a SIP VoIP phone or PBX, an ISP provided router needs ATA ports (for analogue phones) and possibly an adaptor for the bell wire. Further, if the router is maintained by the incumbent ISP and it has ATA ports, the ISP will need to set up their router to point at a chosen third party VoIP provider (Vonage, Sipgate, etc.). Cue a lot of grumbling/errors/mistakes! Then support would probably be a nightmare as well.
I switched my ISP and old BT phone to a new ISP that supports VoIP (also IPv6 and cheaper) for simplicity. I do own my router (not ISP provided) and thus configured it according to the ISP/VoIP info supplied. Not the normal state for the ‘man-on-the-Clapham-omnibus’ who just wants plug’n’play.
If Ofcom hadn’t been asleep at the wheel for years and years and started pulling the licence from CSPs who breach the terms of their licence over calling line number presentation, there would be a lot less fraud going on.
Classic case of industry capture of a regulator.
Those scammers don’t care as long as at robbing you those scammers are heartless
Why do we get scammers calling us, due to the fact that the UK’s and other Western countries handed over our entire database to them abroad. So they know what is taking place whatever changes is happening to the UK.
The horse has bolted, we have lost our personal details forever, due to incompetent management (I work in the NHS and see this every day) because they wanted to save money and hike up the prices.
I have read that we need to punish the government where these parasites live, but politically that is impossible.
Scammers don’t have access to databases I follow Jim Browning on YouTube he is a ethical hacker that works with law-enforcement to bring down hackers and scam call centre’s they use a program to get random phone numbers and they hack in to PC’s. Because your IP Address is the online Equivalent to your postcode your is used to find your location and home your IP Address is your online location.
Regulation weak.
If only it were a legal requirement for the CLID presented to be a validated genuine ID associated with a genuine company or person it would be a lot easier to track down fraudsters.
Any call not preceded by a validated route, would have CPs required to play a recorded message prior to call connection and show 00000000 on the CLID phone screen.
Withheld numbers could also be preceded with an announcement saying the call has been validated but has a genuine valid reason to withhold (say an abuse helpline, clinic etc. where recording the number could present harm risk to the user from other housholders)
All non-UK numbers without international agreed validation, would be flagged suspect, triggering customer opt out recorded warning message. Companies with call centres abroad would be required to have a registered call point presence in the UK against which numbers could be validated.
Hear-hear! Until the ‘net is properly policed globally nothing will be done. CLID should be mandatory but that still won’t stop these criminals. Then who polices the regulators? An anonymous brown envelope with a wad inside (or ‘donations’ via an obscure banking trail, even tacit state support) ensures that the lucrative thieving will continue.
Another Regulatory failure I’m afraid.
The PSA reports give some interesting names when it comes to regular second order players.
The regulatory framework chucking the responsibility to PSA was always going to fail. Moving that responsibility back to Ofcom will only help if Ofcom do something different. And I personally have no confidence it’ll change anything.
The move to digital voice ironically appears that it’ll make life easier for scammers.
It’s horrible for those retaining a voice line for health or care reasons.
This should be a much higher and more urgent priority for Ofcom.
I’ve had possibly hundreds of these kind of calls in my lifetime, never once felt the need to block or go on the TPS service because I have not a clue how anyone falls for them, I find it mind boggling how you can be so gullible and or stupid
The most recent one I get lately are supposedly from three who start off by saying ” hi this is three upgrades, we would like to offer you a great deal on an upgrade, can you tell us if you have a android or iPhone please” I reply …. If you’re actually from three you’d know , they hang up Immediately
I don’t claim to be Einstein but come on, these scam calls are so so so bad
There’s a theory that says that they,like most scam emails, are deliberately that obvious as they then know how incredibly gullible their mark is.
I’m not sure I support that theory, but the more time goes on the more I think it might be right.
I knew someone ho used to tell scammers they must have dialled the wrong number as she did not have a telephone.
Scammers do have full access to our databases, as it is too costly to ring numbers random;y, they know the names of the person whom they are have rang. IP addresses do not give any information of where exactly the prospective target is.