BT phone scam - please be aware

The BTphone scam has been circulated recently:

This emailed warning claims that scammers are posing as representatives of UK telecommunications giant BT in order to trick phone users into handing over their financial

According to the email, a scammer calls a potential victim and identifies himself as a BT staff member before demanding that a supposed unpaid bill be paid immediately lest the phone be disconnected. If the potential victim seems doubtful, the scammer offers to "prove" he is really from BT by temporarily disconnecting the phone. The scammer then uses a simple trick to make the victim think that the phone has really been cut off before calling back to demand an immediate payment. The scammer ask the victim to hang up and try calling someone else but simply stays on the line which restricts outgoing calls. Because the outgoing call cannot be made, some users may then assume that their phone has really been disconnected and pay up as requested to avoid a hefty reconnection fee.

The information in the warning email is factual. Such scams have indeed been occurring in the UK and a number of UK residents have already lost money to these fraudsters. BT has published the following notice on its website warning customers about the scam:

Please be aware of the following:

Fraudsters, pretending to be from various phone companies, have been calling people on the pretence that there is an outstanding bill and threatening to disconnect their line immediately if they do not pay the bill straight away.

The fraudsters have been pretending to "cut off" the customer. Worried about having their line cut off, some people have been persuaded into giving the fraudsters their bank account details.

The police are investigating and BT Security is looking into incidents where the fraudsters have claimed to be from BT.

Whilst BT does have debt handling procedures which may involve calling customers, BT never carries out disconnections during the call by way of proof.

We advise customers never to give out any banking details over the phone unless they are absolutely certain who they are dealing with.

If there is any doubt at all, a BT employee will be able to give the customer their employee ID number and an 0800 number to call, where the customer can check that they are who they say they are. The customer can also check their identity by calling 0800 800 150.

Beware of similar phone numbers. Fraudsters may for example offer a number which has an extra zero - 0800 0800 xxx has been used by fraudsters - it is not the same as 0800 800 xxx.
UK communications regulator OfCom has also posted a warning to consumers about the scam:
Fraudsters are currently phoning consumers claiming to be from BT or Ofcom. They claim that the consumer’s telephone line needs digital upgrade work. This, they say, will cost £6 and if it isn’t paid within 10 days the consumer’s phone line will be cut off.

In some cases, the fraudster will claim that the line needs testing and they will temporarily disconnect it. When the consumer tries to make an outgoing call they are unable to do so. This is simply because the fraudster is still on the line meaning no outbound calls can be made.

This is a scam. Ofcom and BT have alerted the relevant authorities for investigation.
Phone scammers often pose as staff of companies, government departments or financial institutions as a means of fooling people into handing over their personal details. While this particular instance of the scam targets UK residents, criminals may use similar tactics to steal information from phone consumers in other parts of the world. While telecommunications companies may well call their customers to query an unpaid account, they are unlikely to attempt to prove the legitimacy of the call by disconnecting the line. If you do receive a suspect call, do not provide the caller with any personal or financial details. If you are unsure about a call, the safest course of action is to:

 - Ask for the caller's name and department details and then terminate the call.

 - Find a legitimate contact number for the company either in a bill or other official documentation or a telephone directory. (Don't use a contact number provided by the caller).

 - Call the company and ask to speak to the original caller by name.

 - This strategy should effectively derail any scam attempts and also allow you to deal with the issue in the event that the call was actually legitimate

Sourced - http://www.hoax-slayer.com/bt-unpaid-bill-phone-scam.shtml