Broadband scams and nuisance calls: spot, report, block

The UK's National Cyber Security Centre (NCSC) lists the tell-tale signs that scam messages and calls tend to share. They often:

• claim to be from an official organisation;
• give you a limited time to respond, so you act before you think;
• use language designed to cause panic, fear, hope or curiosity;
• offer something in short supply; and
• exploit current events.

That last point is worth keeping in mind with the digital landline switchover: it's a real change happening across the UK, so a message about it can't be judged on its topic alone. You have to check who actually sent it.

BT points out that receiving a suspicious call or message does no harm on its own; the risk comes from interacting with it. So there's no need to panic; just build a habit of checking before you click, call back or hand anything over.

Openreach looks after the copper wires and fibre cables that connect homes and businesses to phone and broadband. It sells its services to providers rather than to households: you buy from a provider such as BT, Sky or TalkTalk, and that provider books and manages any Openreach engineer visit on your behalf. Our guide to what Openreach is and how it works explains the set-up in more detail. That relationship is useful when you're judging a call: Openreach says genuine calls from it are about appointments your service provider has already arranged.

Landlines across the UK are moving from the old copper network to digital lines that use the internet for calls. Ofcom says BT plans to retire its old landline network by 31 January 2027, and Openreach says that after that date anyone still on a traditional line may find their service limited. ISPreview reported in September 2026 that, according to Openreach, about 1.5 million UK lines were still on the old services at the end of July 2026. So plenty of genuine switchover contact is still going out. Our digital landline switchover guide covers the timetable; this section is about telling real contact from fake.

Four official points help you judge it:

1. Genuine contact happens, including phone calls. Citizens Advice says your provider should tell you about the switch in at least two different ways, such as email, phone, text, letter or in person, and should give you your switch date and how to contact them. Some providers phone customers: ISPreview reported that BT has used an outbound calling campaign to move customers across, which Ofcom examined in 2026 before closing its case once BT added extra safeguards for vulnerable customers. So a switchover call isn't automatically a scam.
2. Your provider will never ask you to pay to switch. Citizens Advice says your home phone provider will never ask you to pay to switch to a digital phone line, and if you're told you need to pay to switch your line, it's a scam, even if the person knows personal details such as your name or address. Don't give bank details or click links.
3. Ignoring genuine contact carries a real risk. Ofcom says to respond if your provider contacts you, because you might risk losing service if you don't. Openreach says not to ignore your provider's contact and warns that if you leave it too late you risk losing service; lines not switched by 31 January 2027 may be moved to a temporary, emergency voice-only service called EVAc (Emergency Voice and Access Continuity), which keeps basic calls working for a limited time but may not support the features you use now.
4. Notices and adverts are different things. GOV.UK warns people not to confuse provider notices with marketing material.

The advice from the NCSC, Citizens Advice, BT and Openreach comes down to the same habit: don't use the contact details in the message to check the message. Find the company's details yourself, then get in touch on your terms.

1. Pause. Urgency is a reason to slow down, not speed up.
2. Don't reply, click or scan. Citizens Advice says not to check by replying to the email or text. The NCSC warns that QR codes in emails are increasingly used for phishing (fake messages designed to steal details), so treat a QR code with the same caution as a link.
3. Hang up on a suspicious call. BT's advice is to hang up, look up the business's number yourself and call back.
4. Find a trusted number. Openreach suggests the number on your bill. Citizens Advice suggests the company's own website, not the bill or invoice you're trying to check. Either way, use a bill you know is real or a website address you've typed in yourself.
5. Ask the provider directly. Is there an open order, fault, appointment or problem on my account? Did you send this message? Is a visit booked?
6. If the caller mentions your bank, use 159. Citizens Advice says that if you think someone is calling to trick you into handing over money or personal details, you can hang up and call 159, a secure service that connects you directly with your bank. It's usually charged at the national rate.

Reporting helps even when you haven't lost anything. The NCSC says it acts on every email reported to it and can remove scam addresses and websites, though it can't tell you the outcome.

A note on names: the NCSC and the ICO now direct people to Report Fraud, but some provider pages, including Openreach's and BT's, still mention Action Fraud. Follow the current NCSC advice above.

Digital landlines bring some useful call features. GOV.UK notes that digital lines allow features such as anonymous caller rejection, which stops calls from people who withhold their number. Exactly what you get, and whether it costs extra, depends on your provider. The NCSC says many phone companies offer caller display, incoming call blocking and anonymous call rejection, and suggests asking your provider. The ICO says that if you or a relative is particularly vulnerable, for example living with dementia, you should speak to your telephone network, which may offer call-blocking solutions, many of them free of charge; call blocker units are also sold.

One caution before you switch on anonymous caller rejection. WightFibre warns on its phone page that blocking callers who hide their number will also block places such as a doctor's surgery, hospitals or certain official call centres that withhold their numbers. If you or a relative is waiting on calls from a GP or hospital, weigh that up first, or turn the feature off while you wait for an important call.

Scam calls and emails are often after your passwords or remote access to a computer. The NCSC's top tips make a stolen detail far less useful:

• use a strong, separate password for your email account;
• turn on 2-step verification, where a code from your phone or an app is needed as well as the password;
• install software and app updates when they're offered;
• consider a password manager to keep track of different passwords; and
• back up important data.

Your router matters too, since it's the front door of your home network. Our guide on how to secure your home router and Wi-Fi covers the settings worth checking on the equipment your provider supplied.

Some providers add a network-level safety filter. TalkTalk, for example, says HomeSafe comes as standard with its fibre plans and describes it as helping to block scammers and viruses while you browse, with a paid add-on that extends protection to devices away from home. A filter is a useful extra layer, not a replacement for checking.

If you've clicked, paid or let someone onto your computer, act quickly. In order:

1. Call your bank straight away if a scammer might have your bank details or has had remote access to your computer. BT advises calling your bank right away in that situation.
2. Report it. In England, Wales or Northern Ireland, report to Report Fraud (reportfraud.police.uk or 0300 123 2040). In Scotland, call Police Scotland on 101.
3. Change your passwords, starting with email and any account the scammer may have seen, and turn on 2-step verification if it isn't already on.
4. Tell your broadband or phone provider if the scam used its name or involved your account, so it can check for changes and help you secure it. BT, for example, asks anyone who thinks they've been the victim of a scam to contact it immediately. Ring your provider on a number you've found yourself.
5. Forward the original message to report@phishing.gov.uk or 7726 if you still have it.

Citizens Advice notes that Trading Standards can investigate scammers and take them to court, which is one more reason a report is worth making even when the amount involved feels small.