Money saving guru Martin Lewis has issued a warning over fraudsters and he has dispelled a common myth about scam phone calls.
Martin, who hosts the ITV Money Show, decided to have some fun when he received an automated call from "HMRC" regarding "legal action". The consumer expert told his Twitter followers he was greeted by an electronic voice with an American accent, telling him he hadn't replied to a letter and legal action was being launched.
He was then told to press one and "urgently speak to an agent". Martin "decided to play along" to see what happened.
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However the financial journalist said it was "no fun at all" when the man he was patched through to "rang off'" when asked to confirm which HMRC office he was part of. After he shared his story, many followers were concerned that by pressing one, he had agreed to a premium rate call and would be charged, reports Birmingham Live.
One asked: “Is there not a thing where you press the number and it redirects you, but it’s a premium number that actually charges you?” As "many said they were worried" about the issue, Martin was keen to investigate and contacted Ofcom to get to an answer.
He later confirmed: "If you are called by a scammer and asked to press a button (eg press 1 to...) it is impossible for you to be charged a premium rate call." However he said the key thing not to do was call back.
He added: "If you call them, or if you click to call back after they’ve left a voicemail or from a missed call, you may be charged a premium rate. So the best thing if you’re in any doubt is exercise caution and not engage."
He continued: “Frankly anyone calling you out of the blue to tell you you must take urgent or secret financial (or tech) action is almost certainly a criminal scammer (common ones are from HMRC, Microsoft, delivery firms, NHS ). Be very wary.
“Any reputable organisation will have a way you can contact them (find their number independently, don’t use one from the potential scam call) to check if the call is real, if you’re worried. These people are clever, nasty, conscience-less criminals who prey on inattention, fear and vulnerability. The sooner laws are tightened to stop them having access to mass calling, and social media sites, the better."
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