Hi, last week I received a phone call pertaining to be my mobile phone provider telling me that they were sending me an updated sim card and all required was my name , dob after which they would send me a text with a verification code which I had to read back to them. I alway (foolishly) thought I was savvy when it comes to scams but the called sounded plausible. She sent me a text with a code which I read back to her but I started to realise that it was a scam and ended the call. I have spoken to my provider and they have (on my request) temporarily frozen my account. I have also spoke to my bank and changed lots of password. I posted my concerns to another forum but I only received replies telling me that I was a prat - not that I needed reminding. My concern is that this scam had probably something to do with sim switching and I am worried about any ramifications that might affect me or anyone else recieving a text or whatever claiming to be from my mobile number. I would like advice if possible or even a bit of reassurance but not a lecture. Incidentally I didnât give the caller any personal information or password. Thank you in advance
I use eSIM in my phone and Iâm on silence unknown callers 24/7 so I donât get any scam calls anymore from anyone 
My number is also registered with the Telephone Preference Service, free and easy to do.
That wonât stop scammers - just companies that stick to marketing rules (and they often ignore the TPS).
What about regarding NHS calls? I wish the government implemented some form of verification that phone providers could integrate (to fix this)
So in iOS26 if the number isnât in your contacts list, they have to give more information about why theyâre calling. If itâs the NHS or any other Government organisation and itâs important, they will leave a message otherwise itâs tough. I havenât had a single scammer leave a message since the new feature was released in iOS.
Bit late
Iâm also using this feature but had to specifically enable it - it wasnât on by default.
You can send unknown SMS straight to a Spam list, too.
Agreed, not on by default but I enabled mine as soon as the option was released.
Going back to the NHS thing, they have my email address and they have the option of leaving a message. If they claim they tried to contact me and they donât leave a message or send an email, thatâs on them not me.
I have found that NHS, in my experience, DO NOT leave messages. I was told that, because of the personal and confidential nature of any such call and the need to ensure only the intended recipient sees or hears the message, they are not allowed to do so 
While I have the same attitude as you, and do not answer unknown callers or messages, I donât think the NHS would be that bothered about you missing the call, than you or I may be tbh, if it truly was important.
NHS is not sending you medical emails and theyâre going to go to voicemail, automatically, every time they call you anonymously.
What is your solution exactly? Any NHS phone call Iâve ever received a message on is âHi X, weâre just trying to reach you and will call back at Y timeâ.
Also, youâre not the main character in these peopleâs lives. If you miss something important you will be one patient of thousands to have done it before in the history of that surgery.
To be fair, Iâve received secure messages via the NHS App on my phone so I still donât think itâs a problem from my own perspective.
Iâm delighted that so much interest has been shown in my scam phone call posting but Iâm disappointed that no-one took the opportunity to respond to my actual message. Annd, how did this end up as a discussion the NHS? My concern is that there could be future ramifications and what is exactly is Google Voice which seems to have been the scammersâ objective. I would be extremely concerned if anyone out there was scammed via my phone number and is there anything else I should do (apart from âlesson learnedâ).
Hi,
Sorry to hear about the scam call you were a victim of. This is a really common technique by scammers - they tell you theyâre sending a confirmation code to verify your identity, when in fact they are either logging into something as you, or they are trying to reset your password somewhere. The SMS you receive is an MFA code that secures your accounts, so if you hand it over, they have everything they need to get into your accounts, change your passwords, get your phone number moved to a new SIM card, etc.
The best advice is to NEVER give out one of these codes. A genuine caller will never ask for it. In this instance, to be on the safe side, I would change the password associated with your phone account. If youâve used this password anywhere else, I would also recommend changing it wherever itâs used. When one of your credentials is breached, threat actors will try the same password on other sites and services, such as your email provider, social media profiles, and your bank. This is why itâs very important not to re-use passwords - always implement strong, unique, random passwords on all services you use.
Hopefully, your report to your phone provider will have stopped this scam attempt in its tracks.
Actually, they would. Banks do this a lot, but I think this should be forbidden and replaced with an in-app indicator of if theyâre calling you right now (at whatever cost it comes with to the company). Thatâs the problem.
I just donât get any of these issues because I never answer my phone to numbers that arenât in my contacts list. My banks never call me, they use secure in-app messaging if they want to talk with me. I got rid of my landline years ago because most of the time it was just scammers calling.
Bottom line is, if you get a call and you decide to answer it, then itâs entirely on yourself what happens. If someone starts asking for personal details, bank details, utility bill details, then treat it as if it were a scam and end the call and block the number. If the caller really has a need to get hold of you, theyâll find another way. From my own perspective, I stopped trusting random callers a long time ago.
Thatâs nice for you but I receive a number of calls from the NHS and my surgery and they are always withheld, so I have no choice but to answer them because they never leave a message or call back if I donât answer.
Yeah, I donât get how Topsy seems to be the only person that has special access to the NHS when their calls donât go through.
Oh dear, resorted to sarcasm have we? 
Look, I clearly donât access NHS services as frequently as some of you appear to make out. I will say though, that my local surgery number is freely available on their website to call. Funny thing, I put that number into my iPhone contacts list under âDoctorsâ and when they call me from the surgery, the call comes up as âDoctorsâ. Difficult concept to understand I guess, but thatâs how it goes. Also, as I previously stated, they and HMRC and other government departments do send me messages via in app secure messaging, so I donât have any special access at all. Sorry to disappoint 
Your doctors obviously donât withhold their number. Unfortunately, mine, and many others, do.
Yes, I realise it is a problem for some.
Iâd also point out, that NHS services also send me standard text messages. I know theyâre real because they only ever pertain to conditions Iâm already aware of.