Is this a scam

[Loosecanons]

Hi,

I've not long migrated from Virgin mobile to O2.

Yesterday I had three calls from a number in Leeds saying they were from O2 offering me 50% discount on my bills for a year if I responded to some texts that I received.  

I can share the number.

I have no idea if this is genuine but my phone said suspected spam. 

It's no coincidence to me that as soon as I've migrated I receive these calls plus phone calls from Manchester numbers flagged as spam every morning. 

Any thoughts from O2?

Thanks 

[Oxonian]

@Paul_N 

To add to the words of @Enlli, the scammers use "scraping" software to build a quick profile of their targets using public domain information and information that the target themselves has put online. That is how they seem to know so much about the target, which they then use to make them seem authentic.   

[macstorm]

sms is a form of 2 factor authentication, however I agree a move away from sms based 2FA would be great.  

[Loosecanons]

So they called me again today. This time on a Private number. As soon as they started the exact same script I told them they were a scam and seen on the BBC. They hung up.

O2 need to do more to stop this.

People are having their credit scores and livelihood ruined.

Watch them on BBC scam interceptors 

Scam Interceptors, Series 2: 11. Hunting the O2 Fakers: www.bbc.co.uk/iplayer/episode/p0gd4h9n via @bbciplayer

[Oxonian]

@Loosecanons 

Bear in mind that O2 suffer financial losses and get bad publicity because of these scams. We don't actually know what they are doing behind the scenes to stop them. I agree with you but, in the circumstances, I am reluctant to condemn O2 as I do not feel that I have sufficient evidence to do so.   

The TV programme that you highlight appeared at the same time as some national newspaper reports that have been mentioned on this forum. 

Of course, the scammers would quickly move on if more folks dealt with them as you did and prompted them to hang up.