Features | 24 Jan 2025

Fraudsters will ask you for these details, but Vodafone never will

Scammers will try to trick you into buying expensive phones for their benefit. Here’s how to stay safe and keep ahead of the fraudsters.

Fraudsters are tricking customers of UK mobile network operators into ordering expensive smartphones and services, using too-good-to-be-true deals.

These ‘man-in-the-middle’ scams, also known as ‘account takeover’ fraud, are increasingly common. Here’s how they work.

How cybercriminals trick people in ‘man-in-the-middle’ scams

In man-in-the-middle attacks, organised criminals cold call huge numbers of people, impersonating either Vodafone or a retailer that sells Vodafone’s products and services. To persuade you to hand over your personal details and security information, including one-time access codes, the criminals will offer an extremely competitive deal for a product or service, such as a smartphone.

During their communications with you, scammers will use seemingly legitimate email templates and websites to convince you that they are trustworthy.

Once the criminals have your personal details and security information, they’ll use them to impersonate you to make a purchase from Vodafone UK or one of the company’s authorised retailers. Once you receive your order, you’ll discover that you’ve been sent something else entirely and will be asked to ‘return’ the expensive item to an address under the scammers’ control.

They will then disappear which was their intention all along – to get their hands on a high-cost device at your expense. Once reported, such fraudulently-acquired devices are blacklisted by all of the UK’s mobile network operators, including Vodafone, so they can’t be used on any UK mobile network. But this restriction doesn’t apply in other countries, where the scammers will ship them to be resold, pocketing the profits.

AI-enhanced scams: how to protect yourself

Cybercriminals who use AI to defraud people sound intimidating and impossible to defend against, but protecting yourself is straightforward according to cybersecurity expert Dr Katie Paxton-Fear.

How to protect yourself against ‘man-in-the-middle’ scams

Be wary of any unexpected calls from someone claiming to be from any company or organisation. If it doesn’t feel right, hang up and call them back on their official number. You can find the contact details for Vodafone UK on the company’s website. Be sceptical of contact details listed on other websites, including forums and social media.

Vodafone UK will never:
• contact you to ask for your passwords or temporary passwords
• ask you to read out a one-time access code that is for use on the Vodafone UK website
• tell you to ignore a security warning and will always address you by name when speaking to you over the phone
• call you to ask you to return your order

Postal returns are only ever sent to one of the following postcodes: NR6 6AQ, NR6 6FB, NR6 6FE.

If you think you’re the victim of fraud, or if you have concerns about a Vodafone-related purchase or your Vodafone account, then please contact Vodafone UK’s dedicated fraud team.