Virgin Media O2 issues warning after significant rise in gambling, recruitment and car finance scam texts

• Gambling and fake prizes, Hi Mum / Hi Dad, parking fines, recruitment scams and fake car finance compensation top the list of scam texts reported and blocked on Virgin Media O2’s network.
• More than 600 million scam text messages have been blocked from reaching O2 customers phones so far in 2025 – more than double the number in 2023 and 2024 combined.
• The public are urged to report suspicious messages by forwarding them to 7726 – or by using the ‘report junk’ feature on certain devices – to help protect themselves and others from fraudsters.

Virgin Media O2 is urging Brits to stay vigilant after its latest analysis of suspicious messages reveals a significant increase in the number of recruitment, car finance and gambling prize scams.

The telecoms provider has analysed messages reported and blocked throughout the month of August to help inform Brits about the latest scam tactics they need to look out for.

The most commonly reported messages right now are gambling or fake prize scams in which fraudsters offer free ‘credit’ on gambling sites, ‘prizes’ or ‘rewards’ with a link to an unsafe website. The criminals encourage people to hand over personal details including bank information to claim their prize.

The second most common tactic currently being used is ‘Hi Mum / Hi Dad’ scams, where scammers pretend to be a child reaching out to their parent in distress on a new phone number before asking them to transfer money.

Third on the list is fake parking fines – where scammers threaten significant fines or for people’s ‘license to be revoked’ if they do not visit a suspicious website and make an immediate payment.

Also on the rise are recruitment scams where fraudsters say they’re hiring for lucrative positions which don’t exist and car finance scams in which victims are told they are entitled to compensation. In both, scammers encourage people to share personal information and may ask them to pay fees for their services to help secure the job or access compensation.

Murray Mackenzie, Director of Fraud Prevention at Virgin Media O2, said: “Scammers aren’t sticking to old tricks; they’re evolving fast, tapping into trending news and targeting vulnerable people with fake prizes, job offers and financial compensation schemes.

“At Virgin Media O2 we’re doing everything we can and have already blocked more than 600 million scam texts from reaching our customers so far this year. By analysing these messages and sounding the alarm, we’re helping to spread the word about the latest trends and help Brits to swerve the scammers.”

“But with fraud continuing to increase, we’re reminding people to remain vigilant; always be careful when you receive a call or text out of the blue, don’t share personal details with anyone and report suspicious messages for free to 7726.”

Customers can help fight back against fraudsters by forwarding suspicious texts or calls for free to 7726 – which spells ‘SPAM’ on an alphanumeric phone keypad – on any network. Customer with certain devices including newer iPhones can also use the ‘report junk’ tool which appears at the bottom of messages from people not in their contacts.

By reporting messages, it makes it easier for new trends to be identified and shut down faster. Numbers reported to Virgin Media O2 are blocked whilst messages are analysed to help improve the company’s blocking technology– which uses machine learning to identify new spam patterns and attempts.

This year alone, more than 600 million messages have been detected and blocked from reaching customers – more than double the number in 2023 and 2024 combined.

Brits can find out more about Virgin Media O2’s Swerve the Scammers campaign here.

TOP FIVE SCAM TRENDS – AUGUST 2025

1. Gambling / fake prize scams

EXAMPLES:

Your account is now loaded with GBP500 plus 150 FreeSpins Redeem and play today at: <website removed>

Congratulations! You’ve received a summer gift! Expires tomorrow. Open it <website removed>

2. Hi Mum/Hi Dad

EXAMPLES

Hey mum save my new number

Hi Dad, did you get this?

3. Fake parking fines

EXAMPLE

“Parking Charge Notice (PCN): The record shows that you have unpaid parking fines. The deadline for paying the parking fines is August 26, 2025. If you fail to pay the fine on time, you may be subject to additional fines and interest, and your credit record may also be affected. After reading this information, please enter your vehicle registration number in the link below (the information query is free) to view and pay the parking fines. <fake website removed>

Please complete the payment immediately to avoid having your license revoked and to prevent triggering more legal disputes. Thank you again for your cooperation.

4. Recruitment scams

EXAMPLE

Hello, my name is Grace Mitchell, and I am the Human Resources Manager at Serviceplan Group.

We have reviewed your profile on several online recruitment platforms. Currently, we are offering a flexible part-time position that you can complete during your spare time.

The main task involves optimising software to improve its ranking, increase its visibility, and make the products we optimise more well-known and recognised.

This is a very simple task that can be learned in 10 to 30 minutes, and we provide free training to help you get started quickly.

The daily income ranges from £80 to £300, with payment made immediately upon completion of the data optimisation.

If you would like to join us, please contact us via <Whatsapp link> (Reply 1 and re-open this message to click the link, or copy it to your browser) (Please note that applicants must be at least 25 years old to be eligible for this position.)

5. Car Finance mis-sold

EXAMPLE:

Our records indicate you could be owed up to £2,382.58 in mis-sold car finance. Check for free: <FREE SITE> EXIT=88440