BT Customers beware scammers are using convincing fake emails to steal personal information

Action Fraud, the UK’s national reporting centre for fraud and cybercrime, has issued a warning after receiving almost 700 reports in just two weeks relating to fake emails purporting to be from BT.

The emails, which commonly use the subject line “Your bill is ready,” contain a link that can be used to make a payment.

However, the links in the emails lead to convincing phishing websites that are designed to steal BT login credentials, as well as personal and financial information.

Action Fraud has urged anyone who receives such an email to exercise caution and take steps to verify its authenticity before taking any action.

“If you have doubts about a message, contact the organisation directly,” Action Fraud has said.

“Don’t use the numbers or address in the message – use the details from their official website.”

⚠️Watch out for these fake emails purporting to be from BT.

✅Received a suspicious email? You can report it by forwarding the email to: report@phishing.gov.uk

Your reports have led to the removal of 209,000 scam websites as of January 2023 #PhishyFridays #CyberProtect pic.twitter.com/dM8Cka1aM4

— Action Fraud (@actionfrauduk) February 17, 2023

Phishing is a type of online identity theft where scammers use messages designed to look as if they are from a genuine company to try and trick you into giving out private information like your BT ID username and password or even your bank details.

To help individuals protect themselves from these types of scams, BT has issued a set of guidelines urging people to “think before you click.”

The company has also reminded customers that it will never ask for personal or banking information out of the blue or send an email with an attachment.

Customers who are worried about an email that appears to be from BT are advised to type www.bt.com/mybt into their browser to log in to their My BT account, rather than clicking on any links. From there, they can check their account details and view their bill.

Alternatively, individuals can use BT’s automated phone service to check their balance by calling 0800 443 311.

If an email looks suspicious, BT urges customers to forward it to its dedicated mailbox at phishing@bt.com and delete the email.

For further help with phishing emails and what to do if you’ve clicked on a link, customers can refer to BT’s guides, which can be found at bt.com/scams.

Anyone who suspects they may have received a suspicious email is urged to forward it to the Suspicious Email Reporting Service (SERS) at report@phishing.gov.uk.