Customers in 'Broadband Warranty' Scam

Broadband users in the UK are being targeted by a warranty scam.

Customers in the north west of England have been caught up in the con, which is likely to be an attempt at wide-scale ID fraud. Broadband users are phoned at home, warned that their warranty is almost expired, and offered a warranty renewal for £9.99.

Speaking to the North West Evening Mail, scam victim "Mrs McGerty" said that she was then asked for personal details by the caller. "He asked me to give him my postcode and he wanted my Switch details, at which point I said I’m ending the call,” she said. On checking where the call had come from, she discovered that the number had been withheld.

BT, which provides the customer's broadband, has since investigated the incident, and has confirmed that it was an attempted fraud. "Customers will always know if they have been called by BT – when they dial 1471 there will be an 0800 number given, saying that BT called," a spokesperson said.

Offering further analysis of the scam, industry source ISPreview.co.uk commented: "Sadly phone scams like this are nothing new and appear to be increasingly common. Typically a little paranoia where the security of your personal information is concerned can sometimes be very helpful."