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ANYONE expecting a last minute Christmas parcel delivery on Saturday has been warned to be extra vigilant.
EE predicts it will be a Super Saturday for text message scams targeting those waiting for items to arrive.
Fake delivery updates have become commonplace.
The BT-owned network said it blocked some three million dodgy messages on the same day last year – the most out of any day in 2022.
It’s forecasting as many as five million SMS scams will be blocked by its network alone this December.
The company uses sophisticated AI tech to detect dubious texts and block them from even reaching the intended recipient.
But sadly fraudsters are always working on new ways to trick people – and some messages will slip through the net.
“Super Saturday is set to be the busiest day of the year for high-street retailers,” said Jonny Bunt, EE’s Director of Regulatory Affairs.
“With deliveries piling up on the doorstep, scammers will be looking for ways to take advantage of the festive frenzy.
“As one of the UK’s first lines of defence against SMS scam texts, we have clear sight of the threat level here at BT and EE and are already seeing a concerning spike in delivery scams in particular.”
It comes as the firm revealed that it’s blocked more than 45million scam texts over the past year.
But EE is warning all mobile owners to be “scam-aware” to avoid ruining their Christmas.
“It has been a busy year for fraudulent texts, we blocked over 45 million before they reached our customers, but the battle is never won, and some will always make it through,” Jonny continued.
“Our investments in AI are helping hugely, but we would be nothing without the vigilance of our customers, which is why we’re encouraging everyone to take a couple of minutes to remind themselves of the signs, and to report suspicious texts for free to 7726.”
Important tips to stay scam safe
- Never click on a link in a text from an unknown source.
- Trust your instincts. If something looks suspicious, there’s probably a catch.
- Keep your device software up to date.
- Never give out bank details, passwords or security codes on a website you’ve linked to.
- If your bank phones you, consider calling them back on a published number or using the 159 service
- If you get an expected call from someone, if in doubt put the phone down and call back on a number you trust
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