EE said it managed to block around three million SMS scams that were heading to customers’ phones on the 23 December last year. The company anticipates it will stop up to five million such scams this month.
Millions of mobile phone users are being warned of potential text scams on what is being dubbed “Super Saturday”.
The BT-owned EE network has said cyber criminals could try to take advantage of the busy last-minute shopping period to issue delivery-style scams, suggesting parcels are waiting to be dropped off or their delivery has been missed.
The techniques could trick recipients into clicking links through which they may unwittingly install malware (malicious software), or be taken to a phishing page aimed at harvesting personal and financial data.
EE said it managed to block around three million SMS scams that were heading to customers’ phones on 23 December last year.
The company anticipates it will stop up to five million such scams this month. It also said it had blocked more than 45 million scam texts so far in 2023.
EE said in a statement: “The most common SMS scams in December are delivery-related, as shoppers rush to organise last-minute parcels in time for the holiday period.
“These include missed delivery or track delivery text scams, which prompt customers to click on links that give criminals the opening they need to steal consumers’ data or money.”
