Beware of a spike in phone scams in the UK this summer

While these summer months may be known for scorching heat, relaxation and travel, the temperatures may not be the only thing rising — at least in the U.K. Evidently, new research suggests that the number of mobile phone scams in Britain also seems to increase during the summer months.

A recent study from Uswitch.com sought to explore when people in Britain are most likely to be affected by mobile phone fraud. Mobile experts from the phone comparison resource looked at the number of mobile fraud reports each month from 2019 to 2022, data gleaned from Action Fraud.

A study from Uswitch revealed a spike in the number of mobile scams reported during the summer in the UK.

What they discovered was a spike in the instances of mobile phone fraud during the summer months. With over 3,100 documented reports of scams. It makes sense. As Uswitch notes there are numerous times this can happen. “Fake holidays, event scams, fake hotel WIFI networks and juice jacking can become more common scams during the summer holidays.”

But the summer spike isn’t all the study discovered. Apparently, while reports of phone fraud are known to rise during the summer, they tend to peak highest during the time after the winter holidays. Specifically from January to March, which saw well over 3,900 reports of mobile scams.

This could be due to the fact that “scammers may target parents ahead of the February half-term by impersonating holiday companies, or use romance scams just in time for Valentine’s Day.”

The study revealed several more insights. Such as the age group most affected by mobile fraud being 50 to 59 years of age. As well as Cheshire reportedly being the U.K’s scam hotspot. The study says it has the highest number of scams via mobile phones in the country.

There are many ways to protect yourself against pesky phone scams.

To stay protected against mobile scams, Uswitch advises people to avoid giving out personal information to potential scammers. Such people “may use WhatsApp or Instagram to pose as a family member or friend and ask for money.”

Uswitch also cautions people to be aware of delivery scams, which are known to impersonate delivery services such as Amazon. It’s equally as important to be aware of common tactics such as playing on people’s emotions. Creating a false sense of urgency or a threat is a well-known scamming trick. 

Above all, people are urged to be vigilant. This includes downloading files and apps from reputable sources. And verifying via Google any phone numbers or email addresses of unknown contacts.