Let us know of a potential nuisance or scam so we can investigate the numbers used and aim to block them from our network. The information you give helps us to investigate before it can become a nuisance or scam to others.
Please note:
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We will not contact you unless further information is required. We cannot help with lost funds or stolen information, please contact your bank in these circumstances.
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Blocking rules applied by us operate on a whole network level, for all lines. There are instances where blocking on an individual line is more appropriate and for those cases you may wish to consider other products, including our calling features, as well as other devices to help.
Ofcom provide more information about dealing with nuisance calls on their website here and here. For further support and information about scam calls, visit www.actionfraud.police.uk.
KCOM takes privacy seriously. The personal data we collect, the way in which we will collect it and how we use that personal data will depend on the reason for which we have gathered it in the first place. For more information on how we will use personal data, please view our privacy notice.
You can also make a formal complaint about nuisance calls to authorities such as Ofcom and the Information Commissioners Office (ICO). The Ofcom webpage here will advise you of the appropriate authority to contact based on the type of call received.
Protecting yourself
Scammers manipulate people by "pushing their buttons" to produce the response they want (usually for financial gain). To avoid being scammed and stop scammers in their tracks, you need to know how to avoid them and how to protect yourself.
Only enter your contact details on website forms that you trust.
Call the police if you receive ANY threatening, abusive or obscene phone calls.
Keep existing service providers updated with how you like to be contacted.
Don't call back anyone on numbers that you don't recognise, they could be fraudulent.
Be cautious of giving personal details over the phone. If in doubt, advise the caller that you will call back and use the official number found in your telephone book or on the official website (a caller from a genuine company will not mind this).
Recent and common scams
More often than not scammers are trying to obtain banking information so that they can defraud their victim. There are numerous variations on a theme for the stories they fabricate but they often fall into the camps of directly tricking the victim into volunteering their bank or credit card information, or installing malware on the victim’s computer that allows them to secretly gather it. Examples of these scams include:
This scam involves the called party receiving an automated call that plays a message advising that their Amazon Prime subscription has been renewed and a charge for the service made. The called party is asked to ‘press 1’ to speak to a customer service representative if they believe this is incorrect. The scammer then poses as an Amazon representative, advises that Prime was purchased fraudulently by someone and they offer to correct the problem by accessing the customer’s computer to fix a security flaw. Software is then installed on the computer that monitors for personal information including bank log-on information.
https://www.actionfraud.police.uk/news/the-amazon-prime-scam-that-has-cost-victims-over-1m
A call, often automated, will be received advising that due to non-payment, illegal usage of the service, or a ‘compromised’ internet or computer their telephone and or broadband services will be terminated. Sometimes the message advises BT are making the call, other times it might say KCOM or it might even simply say Internet Service Provider (ISP) in order to be vague. Similarly to the Amazon Prime scam, the called party is invited to ‘press 1’ to speak to a customer service representative to discuss. That ‘ISP representative’ will then try to con the victim into allowing access to their devices to install malware, or try to obtain payment details from the victim verbally.
Visa/Mastercard/Bank scam: A payment of £600 has been made, press 1 to prevent it.
HMRC/Inland Revenue: There is a legal case being pursued for outstanding tax, press 1 to speak to someone.