Call centers from the UK are calling Italian users convincing them to invest in online trading, but it’s a scam
If you are receiving strange calls from the UK these days, be very careful, it’s a phone scam. Many users have reported on social platforms that they have received calls from UK phone numbers (with the area code +44) in which they are offered to open a current account for online trading. The money invested by the users, however, ends up in the hands of fake brokers and it is impossible to recover it.
This is not the first time that we talk about phone scams that affect unsuspecting users and that are made using a foreign number. In this case, however, the user has an active role in the scam and is convinced by the crook to invest a small amount of money which increases with time. With the prospect of making an easy profit, it is very easy to fool an elderly person or a person with little experience with the Internet world. And in a few minutes the fake brokers manage to earn hundreds of euros. Here is how the online trading scam works and how to defend yourself.
How the online trading scam works
If you received a phone call from a UK number (+44 20 3695 3097 and +44 20 3519 9767) and did not answer, you were lucky. Over the past few days, many users have reported that they answered a call from the UK and it was a phone scam. What is it about? Fake brokers that promise the person easy earnings through online trading. All you have to do is open an online account on the home banking service indicated by the telephone operator and credit a small sum. And that’s where the scam comes in: the home banking site, despite being very detailed, is completely fake and the money credited by the users ends up directly in the pockets of the crooks.
The scam, however, does not end here. The fake broker is also capable of rigging the online bank account by making the user believe that he has earned hundreds of euros in a short time and convinces him to increase the investment. When the amount becomes considerable, the crook makes the money disappear and the victim of the scam has no choice but to file a complaint.
How to defend yourself against online trading scam
The first tip to defend yourself against online trading scam is not to answer calls coming from the UK. To recognize them just see the international telephone code +44. Also, if you receive calls offering to open an online trading account, always be wary. These are rather sensitive issues and should never be approached with a call, especially if you do not know the person who is proposing the investment to be made.
Finally, install on your smartphone an application that can automatically block calls from call centers. One of the best is Truecaller, which, thanks to a constantly updated database, alerts the user if it is a spam number or a call center. The application is available for both Android and iOS users.