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Articles for Category Tag - Crime

Malicious Fibre Break Disrupts Virgin Media Broadband Near Manchester

12th December, 2025 (45 Comments)

Customers of UK ISP Virgin Media’s broadband network in and around the Manchester area (Burnley) are currently suffering from internet connectivity problems after several fibre optic cables were damaged in the area. A separate cable break also appears to have occurred in the Birmingham area, which has added some further disruption.

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Two Charged with Theft of Batteries from UK Broadband Street Cabinets

12th December, 2025 (13 Comments)

Last year we reported that the Kent Police had arrested four people in connection with the theft of batteries from “telecoms boxes” (i.e. street cabinets used by broadband providers), cables and other equipment (here), which caused some areas to lose internet connectivity. Two people have now been charged with 40 offences – Levi Backett (38) and a 15-year-old boy.

Encrypted Computer Data by 123rf ID104712693

New Cyber Security and Resilience Bill Introduced to UK Parliament

12th November, 2025 (5 Comments)

The UK government will today introduce their new Cyber Security and Resilience Bill (CSRB) to parliament, which aims to toughen existing defences against cyberattacks – particularly those that impact the health, energy, water and transport networks – and imposes new requirements on broadband, mobile, managed service providers, data centres and even their suppliers.

Internet and UK Telecoms Security Picture

Ofcom to Boost UK Telecoms Security by Working with Key Countries

6th November, 2025 (3 Comments)

The UK communications, internet and media regulator, Ofcom, has today announced that they’ve agreed to work “more closely” with their counterparts in the US, Canada, Australia and New Zealand. The move aims to “strengthen the security and resilience of telecoms networks” and tackle consumer-facing risks from scams and fraud.

Major UK Phone Providers Agree to Crackdown on Scam Calls and Fraud

5th November, 2025 (12 Comments)

A new landmark Telecommunications Charter has today been agreed between several of the UK’s leading broadband, mobile and phone providers, which commits BT (EE), Virgin Media (O2), VodafoneThree, Tesco Mobile, TalkTalk, Sky (Sky Broadband) and the Comms Council UK to a “crack down on scam calls and fraud“. A sub-charter also exists for B2B phone services.

Error message concept. Alert, attention notification. Important reminder

O2 UK Reach Grim Milestone as Mobile Network Blocks 1 Billion Scam Texts

3rd November, 2025 (3 Comments)

Mobile operator O2 (Virgin Media) has today revealed that over 1 billion scam text messages have been blocked by their network and prevented from reaching customers. The provider is now calling on the government to ensure that their forthcoming Fraud Strategy helps to tackle this by empowering law enforcement with the tools and resources needed to crackdown on the problem.

Ofcom UK Propose New Rules to Tackle Mobile Messaging Scams

29th October, 2025 (12 Comments)

Ofcom has today announced a “comprehensive package of planned measures” that are designed to improve protection for mobile phone users against messaging scams. According to the regulator, some 50% of UK mobile users said they received a suspicious message between Nov 2024 and Feb 2025 via text or iMessage, but it’s hoped today’s changes may reduce that figure.

BT and Openreach Electric Vans PR 090125

Court Fines BT £9K Over Permits and Substandard Roadworks in Cumbria UK UPDATE

22nd October, 2025 (10 Comments)

Broadband and telecoms giant BT (Openreach) has been fined a total of £9,000 at the Barrow Magistrates Court in Cumbria (England) after Westmorland and Furness Council (WFC) brought a successful prosecution against the operator for carrying out roadworks “without permits“, while also “failing to reinstate the road adequately“.

Crossed BT Wires Led to Three Innocent UK People Being Accused of Child Abuse

17th October, 2025 (15 Comments)

A recently published judgement by the UK’s Investigatory Powers Tribunal (IPT) has revealed the disturbing case of how a simple mistake by one of BT’s (Openreach) broadband engineers led to three people, who shared the same house, having their lives turned upside down after they were wrongly accused of child sex offences.

Beaminster Car Crashed into Openreach Pole

Car Crash Knocks Out Openreach Broadband and Pole in Dorset UK Town UPDATE2

16th October, 2025 (23 Comments)

Hundreds of people in the Dorset town of Beaminster have reportedly been left without working broadband and digital phone connectivity for several days after a car crashed into one of Openreach’s telecoms (telegraph) poles in the area and promptly burst into flames. Police are currently still trying to locate the driver, which could suggest a criminal aspect.

Now UK Metal Thieves are Stealing the Shells of Broadband Cabinets UPDATE

13th October, 2025 (14 Comments)

The saying goes that criminals will steal anything that isn’t bolted down, but the opposite now seems to be true in Nottinghamshire (England), where a spate of recent metal thefts has seen criminals making off with the steel covers from several of Virgin Media’s (O2) broadband and phone street cabinets.

Cable Thieves Knock Out Openreach Broadband in County Durham Village

9th October, 2025 (3 Comments)

Broadband internet connectivity across part of the County Durham (England) village of Shotton Colliery was left disconnected for five days earlier this week after Openreach’s local network was targeted by copper cable thieves. The activity also caused damage to some local fibre optic cables.

Scam Alert UK Finger on Computer Keyboard Warning

Virgin Media O2 UK Claims 1.8 Million over-65s Have Fallen for Online Scams

7th October, 2025 (7 Comments)

Broadband and mobile giant Virgin Media and O2 has this morning published new research, which claims to reveal that more than 1.8 million people over the age of 65 have been scammed online in the past year, with the average victim losing £831. In response, they’re launching a free Scam Schools programme with sessions “across the UK” to help Brits get safer online.

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Broadband Disrupted Near Durham UK After Vandals Cut Fibre Optic Cables

2nd October, 2025 (13 Comments)

A number of homes, businesses and several network operators, including Netomnia (Youfibre, Brsk) and Openreach (BT), were impacted yesterday outside the City of Durham after vandals gained access to a chamber and cut vital fibre optic cables; disrupting local broadband connectivity for a protracted period.

Internet Danger Websites with Scam Ads and Malware

Ofcom Warn UK People to Watch for Scammers Impersonating the Regulator

25th September, 2025 (4 Comments)

The UK telecoms and media regulator, Ofcom, has warned consumers that fraudsters are attempting to impersonate them. In short, some people have received calls from scammers, which claim that services (e.g. broadband, phone etc.) have been fraudulently taken out in their name, when this is not the case.

Beware Email Scams Seeking Feedback on the UK’s Emergency Alerts Test

16th September, 2025 (2 Comments)

The recent nationwide mobile test of the UK’s new Emergency Alerts service has, perhaps inevitably, been followed by a new wave of email phishing scams and spams over the past week. This attempts to impersonate the government by claiming to seek feedback from recipients on whether or not they received the alert.

O2 UK Warns of New Scam Texts as Network Blocks 600 Million Messages

4th September, 2025 (2 Comments)

Mobile network operator O2 (Virgin Media) has today revealed that they’ve blocked more than 600 million scam text messages from reaching their customers phones so far in 2025 (more than double the number in 2023 and 2024 combined). But the operator warns that they’ve seen a “significant rise” in gambling, recruitment and car finance scam texts.