Criminals will often use the publicity around events such as the Virgin Media situation as a chance to pose as a genuine organisation, as well as banks and police officers. Often the criminal will pretend to be from the impacted company, or claim they are dealing with an issue as a result.

Fraudulent emails, phone calls or text messages often claim to be able to help customers.

The criminal will then attempt to get recipients to disclose personal or financial information, which they will then use for their own fraudulent purposes. They may even ask you to install software on your computer.

Consumers are urged to:

Stop: Taking a moment to stop and think before parting with your money or information could keep you safe.

Challenge: Could it be fake? It’s ok to reject, refuse, or ignore any requests. Only criminals will try to rush or panic you.

Protect: Contact your bank immediately if you think you’ve fallen for a scam and report it to Action Fraud.