{"id":43568,"date":"2025-10-20T10:19:38","date_gmt":"2025-10-20T09:19:38","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.ispreview.co.uk\/?p=43568"},"modified":"2025-10-20T10:20:36","modified_gmt":"2025-10-20T09:20:36","slug":"broadband-isp-virgin-media-uk-sees-285-percent-rise-in-phishing-threats","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.ispreview.co.uk\/index.php\/2025\/10\/broadband-isp-virgin-media-uk-sees-285-percent-rise-in-phishing-threats.html","title":{"rendered":"Broadband ISP Virgin Media UK Sees 285 Percent Rise in Phishing Threats"},"content":{"rendered":"

Broadband, phone and TV provider Virgin Media<\/a> (O2<\/a>) and their security partner, Akamai, have this morning warned that they’ve seen a 285% rise in phishing attempts this year. This figure has jumped to a huge 232,365 average new phishing threat entries to their threat intelligence feeds each day between April to June 2025.<\/p>\n

Phishing typically reflects the fraudulent use of legitimate \/ trustworthy business or personal images (brands) that have been designed to fool users into entering their personal, financial or security information (scammers sending you fake bank emails etc.). This data is then stolen and abused by the fraudsters.<\/p>\n

As part of its ongoing \u2018Swerve the Scammers<\/em>\u2019 campaign, VMO2 has continued to invest in new tools and technologies to keep customers safe online. This year, the company has blocked over 600 million scam messages so far and rolled out AI-powered scam call detection to flag potentially fraudulent calls to customers before they even pick up the phone.<\/p>\n

Take note that all Virgin Media<\/a> customers receive their Essential Security<\/strong> software as standard to help fight phishing scams, viruses and to provide other protections. Customers can optionally add Advanced Security, for three months free via a trial, or pay \u00a33 monthly or \u00a330 annually, which offers on-the-go protection in and out of the home. The ISP also offered a few security tips.<\/p>\n

Virgin Media<\/a>’s Security Tips to Avoid Phishing Scams<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n

1. Be sceptical of unexpected messages: <\/strong>If you receive an email, text, or call out of the blue, especially one asking for personal or financial information, pause and think. You can act as an additional layer of security yourself. Scammers often pretend to be from trusted organisations like banks, supermarkets, HMRC, or even the NHS. If you’re unsure, don\u2019t click any links or give out personal details. Instead, apply caution and contact the organisation directly using a verified number on its website to verify the request.<\/p>\n

2. Check the sender carefully: <\/strong>Phishing messages often use email addresses or phone numbers that look almost legitimate. Look for misspellings, extra characters, or generic greetings like \u201cDear customer.\u201d If something feels off, it probably is. Keep an eye out for the below examples.<\/p>\n