As part of its response to last year’s data breach, TalkTalk has partnered with Get Safe Online - the UK’s leading source of information on online safety - to launch a consumer-focused awareness and education campaign, Beat the Scammers. Research by the partnership has revealed that calls from scammers are twice as frequent as from best friends - 72% of consumers got a landline call from a crook compared to 36% from friends. Even family members called at a lower rate of 64%. The initiative sees TalkTalk communicating to its four million customers as well as to consumers nationwide with advice and tips on how to combat the rise in fraud. It aims to recruit “Scam Busters” who will share their knowledge and tips for how to beat the criminals. Tristia Harrison, TalkTalk consumer’s managing director, said: “We know we have a responsibility to help protect our customers and we’re determined to play our part in combating this growing problem. Traditionally, the onus has been put on individuals to stay vigilant. But these increasingly sophisticated crimes are now affecting the whole country on an unprecedented scale - no one business, agency or individual can beat it on their own. We need nationwide action to take the fight to the scammers and make sure the online world is a safe place to play, work and stay connected.” The scale of fraudulent attacks revealed in the research is staggering, with 2.5 million UK households reporting a scam phone call in the last month, while 63% of consumers got a suspicious email and 43% a suspicious text. Worryingly, 42% of consumers said they woiuld not be able to spot a scam.
Following its data breach last year, TalkTalk has partnered with Get Safe Online, to launch an education and awareness campaign aimed at consumers, called Beat the Scammers. Research by the partnership has shown that calls received by consumers from scammers are twice as frequent as calls from friends. The research also showed that four million UK households reported a scam phone call last month, with 63% of consumers saying they would not be able to spot a scam. Through the initiative, TalkTalk will provide advice to its 2.5 million customers, and consumers nationwide, on combating fraud.