Articles and advice about phone scams and nuisance calls
A message from an unknown number says it's your son or daughter with a new phone, and soon asks for money to cover an urgent bill. The "Hi Mum" scam has moved from WhatsApp to texts and even AI voice notes. Here is how the script works, why clever people fall for it, and how a family code word beats it every time.
A text promising a tax refund, a recorded call about unpaid tax and a warrant for your arrest - HMRC impersonation is one of the most persistent scams in the UK. The good news is that HMRC's real contact habits are predictable. Here is how to tell a genuine HMRC call or letter from a fake one, and where to forward the fakes.
The number on your screen matches the one on the back of your bank card, so the call must be genuine. Unfortunately not. Caller ID is information the caller supplies, and it can be faked. Here is how spoofing works, what Ofcom's blocking rules have and haven't fixed, and the one habit that beats every spoofed number.
Since February 2026 the ICO can fine companies behind nuisance calls and texts up to £17.5 million or 4% of global turnover, instead of the old £500,000 cap. That sounds like the end of cold calls. It isn't. Here is what the new law really changes, who it scares, who it doesn't, and what you can do to make a complaint count.
Copper landlines in the UK close by 31 January 2027 and millions of home phones are moving to digital voice. The switch is real, and so is a wave of calls from fake BT and Openreach staff asking for card details. Here is what actually happens to your landline, what a genuine provider will and won't ask you, and how to tell the two apart.
Practical advice on phone safety, the latest scam tactics and how to deal with nuisance calls.