SCAM!

[Amy1997]

Hi All,

I have received the following text today....

O2:We were unable to process your latest bill. In order to avoid fees, please update your payment information via: <Link Removed>

If you receive this text please do not click on the link as this is a scam!

Thanks for reading

[MI5]

No harm in clicking the link @susan4 

It's your details they are after from filling in the form.

[madasaf1sh]

---

@Cleoriff wrote:

This has been going on for months now and O2 need to investigate and shut down the site/IP address

God only knows how many unsuspecting people have been caught out and had bank accounts emptied!!

We only see those who post on here.

Absolutely disgusting.

---

@Cleoriff

Unfortunately this phishing scam like lots of them, are very clever, and when o2 (and other operators globally) shut one down they just spring up again as the technology used is very simple and very cheap and the return on this investment is very high (average cost per phishing text is £0.06p)

Policing these Phishing scams is difficult and you end up going after people for IP theft rather than the phishing scam to ge the site taken down. 

It comes down to educating users to recognise these messages and actually reporting them to o2 and action fraud and I think this is where o2 could take a lead and educate the public. 

[Cleoriff]

I know how difficult it is @madasaf1sh  and know how they work.

My concern is for O2 customers who have no idea this forum exists and are losing money to despicable scum like these people.

We were told months ago O2 were aware of this and working on it. As a daily user of this forum, I see no evidence of this happening.

It quietened down with the advent of Covid19 and is now back again and appears to be worse than ever.

[30062020]

I got caught out by this back in April, but luckily had the good sense to cancel my debit card straight away as I realised just after (sadly after I’d already entered my details) and then had a nervous few days after (and additional calls from ‘my bank’) trying to get further details. Luckily I was so wary after falling for it once, I’m on high alert now. If you get a text like that, report and then delete it.

[ElizabethL]

Hello, I had the scam text today. Stupidly clicked on the link and typed in my address and bank card etc details, then realised the site looked dodgy and deleted them all. So though I pressed the ‘continue’ button at the bottom of each page, I never pressed ‘submit’ on the form.

My question is: Could the site record my details just by my typing them, without submitting the form? How sophisticated is this scam? (I changed my O2 password immediately and cancelled my bank card too. Also reported the text to O2).

Any help hugely appreciated!

[ElizabethL]

Hi, asked this below but you seem knowledgeable and would be so grateful for advice. I had the scam text today. Stupidly clicked on the link and typed in my address and bank card etc details, then realised the site looked dodgy and deleted them all. So though I pressed the ‘continue’ button at the bottom of each page, I never pressed ‘submit’ on the form.

My question is: Could the site record my details just by my typing them, without submitting the form? How sophisticated is this scam? (I changed my O2 password immediately and cancelled my bank card too. Also reported the text to O2).

Any help hugely appreciated!

[Cleoriff]

Hi @ElizabethL 

Answered here https://community.o2.co.uk/t5/Pay-Monthly/Scam/m-p/1377518/highlight/true#M208372 

[ElizabethL]

Thank you @Cleoriff

Really appreciate your reply. Hoping no harm was done unless ‘submit’ was pressed. Sadly I’m not a coder so I don’t know how these sites work. If there are any techies out there with info I’d love to know! Feel like an idiot for falling for this.

Thanks again!

[MI5]

@ElizabethL 

Yes, there's a good chance they have your details but as you've changed password and cancelled your cards you should be ok. 

[ElizabethL]

Thanks @MI5

Do you know how this scam site works? Does pressing the ‘continue’ button on each page transmit typed input, or only the final ‘submit’ button? I asked O2 but they had no idea. Amazing, really. Feel they should be contacting customers with some basic info.

Thanks again!