As Black Friday heralds the start of Christmas shopping season, both individuals and businesses should heed the following advice to make sure they stay safe and scam-free over the holidays.
This year, the average Brit will spend almost £1,400 in the six weeks leading up to Christmas. Given this period includes some of the busiest days for online shopping in the UK, it’s important to practise safe online behaviours to help stay secure.
What’s more, with finances in full flow, fraudsters are increasingly targeting mobile users to take advantage of one of the busiest times of the year for online transactions.
In fact, Three reported a 300% rise in scam activity during November last year in comparison to the monthly average between August and October, while December saw a huge 500% increase in scam messages compared to the previous quarter.
All of which means individual consumers and businesses alike should be particularly on guard when it comes to using their devices this festive period.
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.
Five common types of fraud and how to avoid them
As fraudsters become increasingly sophisticated in their approach, customers must know the most common scams to look out for, and understand how best to combat them.
Account takeover fraud
Account takeover fraud is when a bad actor gains unauthorised access to a customer’s account. As a result, it can allow them to either place an order on the victim’s account, steal equipment or take control of their number as part of fraud targeted at others.
To combat account takeover fraud, Vodafone and Three both use a range of security controls, whether a customer is being assisted online, in-person or over the phone – all of which aim to ensure that the person attempting to access the account is in possession of the associated SIM card.
And, of course, one of the most effective forms of defence is to use strong, unique passwords from the outset.
Finally, it’s important to remember that Vodafone or Three will never: ask for your password; ask you to read out a one-time code generated online; tell you to ignore a security warning; or call to ask you to return your order.
Top tips
Verify the caller's identity
If you receive an unexpected call from someone claiming to be from a trusted organisation, ask for their name, department, and a callback number. Then, verify their identity by calling the organisation’s official number, which you should be able to find on their website.
If in doubt, don’t click on any link, or call a number
contained within the message. Instead, manually enter the website’s address in your browser or use the official app.
SIM swap fraud
SIM swap fraud is when scammers take control of a phone number by switching the service to a SIM card they possess, granting them access to online accounts and personal information.
They often use social engineering tactics, such as impersonating Vodafone or Three, to trick customers into sharing one-time codes. Which is why Vodafone mandates multi-factor authentication (MFA) for any SIM swap.
More broadly, VodafoneThree has updated its security measures to combat SIM swap fraud, introducing dedicated training to help frontline customer care teams better spot attempts, while deepening its cooperation with financial institutions.
Ultimately, customers should be wary of unexpected calls, especially if the caller is pressuring you, and should not ignore warnings and notifications about suspicious activity on their account.
Top tips
Be wary of unexpected calls or messages
If anyone is claiming to be from any company or organisation and it doesn’t feel right, ignore, call or email them back on their official number.
Don’t ignore fraud warnings
in text messages or on your handset for calls. Always report unexpected notifications, particularly about account changes.
Scam and spam messages
Spam texts are unsolicited, unwanted messages that are sent to a large number of recipients. Scam text messages, meanwhile, are designed to trick recipients into sharing personal information or money.
VodafoneThree has a highly trained team of SMS analysts, dedicated to understanding the ever-changing landscape, so they can recognise scams when they occur.
So far this year, the team has helped prevent 118+ million scam texts from being sent to Vodafone and Three customers or the wider public.
Both individuals and businesses should always be wary of who they share personal information with, as scammers often use fake, yet convincing, websites and email addresses to steal details.
Top tips
Report scam/unwanted messages by forwarding to 7726
followed by the sender when requested, or click ‘Report Spam’ on Android phones and ‘Report Junk’ on iPhones.
Scam messages are not limited to SMS messages
Scams are also sent over iMessage and RCS platforms, as well as the likes of WhatsApp, Facebook Messenger and any other messaging/social media platforms. Be vigilant and question every unexpected message received.
How to protect yourself from SIM swap fraud: everything you need to know
Vodafone has put enhanced security checks and training in place to combat SIM swap fraud, but there are still some crucial precautions that everyone needs to take.
Nuisance and fraudulent callers
While nuisance calls are intended to annoy or disturb the recipient, fraudulent calls can be more sinister, since they are used to deceive or defraud those on the receiving end, often for financial gain.
In turn, VodafoneThree is constantly monitoring its network to identify and block both nuisance and fraudulent calls.
In 2024, for example, the company blocked 14,000 spam and scam callers or international number ranges, with an estimated 1.7 million fraudulent calls blocked from reaching Vodafone and Three customers every single day.
If their device allows it, customers can enable caller ID and call blocking. Regardless of this, all customers should exercise caution when answering a call from an unknown number, and should never share sensitive information over the phone.
Top tips
Report nuisance calls to 7726
by texting the word ‘CALL’, followed by the caller’s numbers within the same message (e.g. ‘CALL 07123123123).
Muling
Credit muling is when fraudsters convince others to take out phone plans or make purchases on their behalf.
Though certainly not only confined to the telecoms industry, in this context, scammers may disguise themselves as mystery shoppers to try and gain the target’s trust.
Because this often results in an individual using their own information to make the purchase, it can be difficult for companies to spot. Which is why VodafoneThree’s dedicated fraud teams closely monitors fraud trends, allowing them to react to both new and commonly used tactics.
To protect against this type of fraud, individuals and businesses should be wary of who they share personal information with, and to report any concerns to the Vodafone or Three fraud teams.
Top tips
Install call blocking and SMS filtering apps
These apps can help identify and block potential spam and fraudulent contacts, reducing the risk of falling victim to scams.
Never share a one-time-code or personal information
unless you are sure you are speaking with, or have yourself contacted, a legitimate business. Legitimate companies will never ask for sensitive information such as your bank details, online passwords, or PINs over the phone or via SMS.
Taking steps to stay secure
Though scammer tactics are constantly evolving, so too are VodafoneThree’s fraud defences – from investing in new technologies and training its teams to building stronger partnerships across industry, government and law enforcement.
However, it’s vital that customers regularly update their own understanding of the fraud landscape as well, especially as new technologies like AI continue to change the game.
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