"Good afternoon, I'm calling from BT about the digital switchover. Your landline will be disconnected on Friday unless we confirm your payment details today." The caller knows your name and your address. The switchover is real. The call isn't.
If you still have a traditional home phone, you have probably heard that the old landline network is closing. What fewer people realise is that the switch has become one of the easiest cover stories a phone scammer has had in years. It sounds official, it comes with a real deadline and most people don't know exactly what is supposed to happen.
Our take is simple: the genuine switchover never needs your card details over the phone, and it never needs them by Friday. Once you know what a real migration looks like, the fake version becomes easy to hang up on.
What is actually being switched off
The UK's copper telephone network, known as the PSTN, is being retired. Openreach has set 31 January 2027 as the date the old voice switching network stops working. The industry originally aimed for the end of 2025 but pushed the date back to give more time to people who rely on their landline, including those with telecare alarms.
After the switch, landline calls travel over your broadband connection instead of the copper line. In most homes this means plugging the phone into the router, or into a socket that your provider has upgraded. You can usually keep your number. The process is slow and planned: providers write to you, give you a date and explain what, if anything, you need to do.
The scale is shrinking fast. According to Ofcom, the number of landline customers still on the old network fell from 5.2 million in July 2024 to 3.2 million in July 2025. That leaves a large, mostly older group of people who haven't switched yet - exactly the audience scammers want.
Why the switchover is perfect cover for a scam
A good scam needs three things: a believable reason to call, urgency and a request that sounds routine. The switchover supplies all three.
- A believable reason. Everyone has heard that landlines are "going digital". A caller mentioning it doesn't sound strange.
- Urgency. There is a real deadline, so a fake one ("your line goes dead this week") feels plausible.
- A routine request. Confirming details for an account change sounds like normal admin.
Since early 2025, trade press such as ISPreview and The Register have reported people being called by fake BT support agents. The callers ask people to confirm personal and payment details so the line can be "migrated", or demand a fee to move the service and threaten disconnection if it isn't paid. Some already know the victim's name and address, which is not proof of anything: that kind of data circulates widely after breaches.
Real provider or scammer: how to tell
Here is the thing most warning posters miss. You don't need to judge whether the caller sounds genuine. You only need to check what they are asking for.
| What happens | Genuine switchover | Scam call |
|---|---|---|
| First contact | Letter or email from your own provider, usually weeks ahead | Unexpected call, often the first you hear of it |
| Cost of the switch | No charge for moving the service itself | "Migration fee", "admin fee" or "new equipment" to pay now |
| Payment details | Never taken on a cold call | Card number, expiry date, security code |
| Deadline | A set date agreed in advance | "Today", "within 24 hours", "by Friday" |
| Remote access | Not needed for a phone switch | Asks you to install an app or visit a website |
| Who you are dealing with | The company whose name is on your bill | "BT", "Openreach" or "the digital team" whatever your provider is |
That last row catches a lot of fakes. Openreach runs the network, but it doesn't sell you a phone line. If your landline is with Sky, TalkTalk or Virgin Media, a call from "BT about your switchover" makes little sense.
What to do if you get one of these calls
- Hang up. You don't owe the caller an explanation, and arguing only confirms your number is active.
- Wait a few minutes or use another phone. Some scammers keep the line open after you hang up, so a call you make straight away may reach them rather than your provider.
- Call your provider on the number on your bill or its website. Ask whether your switchover is scheduled and whether anything is owed.
- If you gave card details, call your bank now. Dialling 159 connects you to most UK banks safely.
- Report it. In England, Wales and Northern Ireland report fraud to Report Fraud, which replaced Action Fraud. In Scotland call Police Scotland on 101.
You can also look up the number that called you on Who Rang. If others have had the same "switchover" pitch from it, their reports will usually say so.
The people most at risk, and what families can do
The honest answer is that the most exposed people aren't the ones reading articles like this. They are older relatives who still answer the landline, trust a polite voice and have been told, correctly, that their phone is about to change.
If that describes someone in your family, one short conversation is worth more than any leaflet. Tell them three things:
- The switch to a digital landline doesn't cost anything to arrange over the phone.
- Nobody genuine will ask for card details on a call they didn't make.
- If in doubt, hang up and ring the number on the bill - and it's fine to be rude to a stranger.
It is also worth checking with the provider whether their home setup includes anything that depends on the landline: a telecare pendant, a burglar alarm or a phone that must work in a power cut. A genuine switchover conversation covers these. A scam call never does, because the caller doesn't care.
What changes for your calls after the switch
For most people, very little. The number stays, the phone rings the same way and call quality is often better. Two things are genuinely different:
- Power cuts. A copper line carried its own power. A digital landline needs the router to be on. Providers must offer a solution, such as a battery back-up, to customers who depend on their landline, so ask if that applies to you.
- Old equipment. Some older alarm systems, fax machines and payment terminals need checking or replacing.
What doesn't change is caller ID. A digital landline shows incoming numbers just like before, and scammers can still fake them. We explain why a displayed number proves so little in our guide to caller ID spoofing in the UK.
Frequently asked questions
Is BT really switching off landlines?
The copper network is closing across the UK by 31 January 2027, whichever provider you use. Your landline doesn't disappear - it moves to a digital service over broadband, and you can usually keep your number.
Do I have to pay to switch to a digital landline?
The move itself shouldn't be charged over a cold call. You may need broadband, and some people choose a new package, but a caller demanding a "migration fee" on the spot is a warning sign.
Will Openreach call me about the switchover?
Your contact is normally your own phone provider, the company on your bill. If someone says they are from Openreach and asks for payment, hang up and call your provider directly.
I gave my card details to a fake BT caller. What now?
Call your bank straight away using 159 or the number on your card, ask them to stop the card and watch for further transactions. Then report it to Report Fraud, or to Police Scotland on 101 if you live in Scotland.
The bottom line
The landline switch-off is a real, planned change with a real date, and that is exactly why scammers use it. A genuine switchover is arranged by your own provider, in writing, without card details taken on a cold call. Anyone who needs your payment details today to keep your phone working is not moving your landline - they are moving your money.