- Since launching in November, more than 150 million suspected scam and spam calls have been flagged to O2 customers thanks to AI-powered technology
- The service, which O2 launched for its customers at no extra cost late last year, is already helping protect consumers. Calls labelled as ‘suspected scam’ are being answered 42% less often and are 89% shorter than unflagged calls.
- Scammers impersonating HMRC top the list of the most reported scam call – followed by callers claiming to be from Amazon, card payment providers such as Visa and Mastercard, Immigration officials and those offering deals on mobile phones.
- O2 is urging customers to remain vigilant and report suspicious calls and texts to 7726, so it can shut down scams more quickly in future.
O2 is using artificial intelligence to flag more than 50 million suspected nuisance and scam calls to customers every month, alongside blocking millions of confirmed fraudulent calls since it launched its free service last year, the company has revealed.
Known as Call Defence, it uses Adaptive AI to analyse call number behaviour in real-time and determine whether it could be a scam or spam call. The system then alerts customers before they pick up the phone.
Having partnered with voice intelligence company Hiya on the service, the system is already helping O2 customers to stay safe by giving them an early warning of unknown callers’ motives.
Since the technology has been rolled out, calls labelled as suspected spam have been answered 42% less often and are 89% shorter than unflagged calls, as the technology helps customers reduce their exposure to time-consuming and potentially risky calls.
The number of compatible devices is increasing daily as more people upgrade their phones to the latest software or operating system Since November, more than 150 million calls have been flagged, with this now rising to around 50 million per month.
O2 is the first and only UK mobile operator to provide this service to customers at no extra cost. The technology has been automatically rolled out to Android users and Apple customers using the latest iOS 18 and above.
Murray Mackenzie, Director of Fraud Prevention at Virgin Media O2 said: “With more than 50 million calls suspected nuisance and scam calls now being flagged every month, we’re empowering O2 customers in the fight against fraud, arming them with important information when deciding whether to pick up the phone.
“This free AI service is just one of the many ways we’re working to keep Virgin Media O2 customers safe, and builds on our work to block more than 168 million scam texts in the last two years alone. With fraudsters constantly evolving their tactics, we’re calling on Brits to play their part by reporting scam calls and texts for free via 7726. Every report helps improve our systems to stop scammers in their tracks.”
Alex Algard, CEO & Founder of Hiya, said: “Virgin Media O2 is taking decisive steps to protect its customers from the growing threat of fraud and nuisance calls. By using Hiya’s Adaptive AI to stay ahead of scammers, they’re not just making communication safer—they’re restoring trust in the phone call itself. We’re proud to partner with Virgin Media O2 as they set a new standard for a modern, secure, and trusted voice network.”
TOP 5 SCAM CALLS YOU NEED TO WATCH OUT FOR
Virgin Media O2 and Hiya have analysed data from scam calls reported on the network to reveal the top five scam call trends that consumers need to watch out for. Across the last few months of 2024, the most common trends were callers impersonating:
- HMRC: Both live and prerecorded robocalls threatening legal action for unpaid taxes.
- Amazon: Scammers impersonate Amazon customer support, claiming there’s an issue with an order or a fraudulent purchase. Their goal is to trick victims into providing account credentials or credit card information, often by urging them to verify details or resolve a fake problem
- Payment services – VISA/Mastercard: Scammers claim there’s a fraudulent charge or an issue processing a payment. Their goal is to trick victims into providing credit card information under the guise of resolving the problem. This type of scam is especially common during the holiday season when people are making frequent purchases and may be more likely to believe an urgent payment-related alert.
- Immigration: calls claiming to be from “the immigration bureau” warning of an expired visa
- Mobile-related scams: calls offering significant but fake discounts on their contracts or new devices
With scammers posing as government departments and some of the most trusted companies in the UK, Virgin Media O2 is calling on Brits to remain vigilant regarding unexpected calls and report suspected scams to 7726. By doing so, the telecoms company is not only able to investigate and block the mobile numbers used by fraudsters; but also use the scam texts and numbers to help refine its blocking services, making it easier to identify new trends and block messages faster.
More than 168 million texts have been blocked over the past two years, in part thanks to reports to 7726.
Brand ID
Alongside Call Defence, O2 has also rolled out caller identification technology, which provides customers with greater confidence and certainty about who is calling them by giving details of the organisation making the call.
With more than 200 UK businesses already signed up to the service, known as Brand ID, including major banks and insurers, the tool also acts as an anti-fraud filter, only displaying caller information after verifying the company. Since its launch, more than 9.5 million calls have been delivered with caller identity to customers.
Notes to Eds
About Virgin Media O2
Formed in 2021 as a joint venture between Liberty Global and Telefonica, Virgin Media O2 has more than 45.7 million UK connections across its award-winning broadband, mobile, TV and home phone services. Its own fixed network currently has 18.3 million premises serviceable alongside a mobile network that covers 99% of the nation’s population with 4G, and 75% UK 5G outdoor population coverage.
About Hiya
Hiya is trusted by global businesses, carriers, and consumers to provide secure, engaging connections and stop unwanted calls. Built on the world’s leading Voice Intelligence Platform, Hiya connects businesses with their customers, helps carriers secure their networks, and protects people from spam and fraud calls. Hiya’s SaaS applications, Hiya Connect and Hiya Protect, serve more than 250 million users on the Hiya Network, powering call protection and identity for AT&T, Samsung, Ericsson and more. Learn more at www.hiya.com.
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