An urgent new alert has been issued by the team at Virgin Media O2, and all customers would be wise to stay alert. The telecoms and TV service, which merged back in 2021, is urging its millions of customers to stay vigilant after the discovery of a sharp rise in a new AI-driven scam. The provider has confirmed that fraudsters have changed tactics and are now using fake customer service phone numbers generated through search engines and AI tools to trick people into calling bogus call centres.

Once connected, victims may be persuaded to hand over sensitive information such as bank details and personal data. If this falls into the wrong hands, it can cause financial losses and other forms of fraud.

This is not an idle threat either, Virgin Media O2 estimates that around one in eight UK consumers (13 percent) have already been shown a fake customer support number online.

The company explained that criminals are exploiting AI-powered tools to display false phone numbers, websites and search results when people try to contact trusted brands. These scams are designed to capture information and commit fraud.

As more people rely on AI-generated answers instead of visiting official websites, scammers have found a new way to target unsuspecting users.

Virgin Media O2 is advising customers to only use contact numbers listed on official websites, apps or bills. For O2 support, users should call 202 from an O2 handset, while Virgin Media customers should dial 150 from their landline.

The company also warns people to be cautious of phone numbers found through search engines, social media or AI chat tools. Customers should never share security codes or personal details with unexpected callers, regardless of who they claim to represent.

Murray Mackenzie, Director of Fraud Prevention at Virgin Media O2, said scammers know people searching for help often want quick answers. He added that AI tools are giving fraudsters new ways to create convincing fake numbers that appear in search results or chatbots, increasing the risk of people contacting criminals instead of legitimate providers.

He said Virgin Media O2 is working to protect customers by blocking known scam numbers and using AI technology to identify suspicious calls, with more than one billion flagged so far. He also encouraged the public to report suspicious numbers to 7726 to help stop scams more quickly in the future.