What are the red flags of this scam?

You found the number through a Google search, a sponsored ad, a chatbot, or a social media post — always check the company's official website or your bill directly • The 'agent' asks you to confirm sensitive details you would not need to give just to get help — date of birth, sort code, account number, PIN, or a one-time passcode • The call is longer than expected and the agent keeps asking for more personal verification before connecting you to the 'specialist' • You are asked to transfer money to a 'holding account' or a 'safe account' while the issue is investigated — no legitimate company does this • The agent says your account is under investigation and you must act today — urgency is a key manipulation tactic

What should I do if this happened to me?

Never use a phone number found through a search engine, chatbot, or social media ad — find the number on your original bill, the company's official app, or by typing the company's web address yourself • If someone claiming to be your bank, telecoms provider, or utility asks you to transfer money or confirm a passcode, hang up and call the number on the back of your card or your original bill • The 159 service connects you directly to your real bank's fraud team — if you are unsure whether a call was genuine, hang up and dial 159 before taking any action the caller asked for • Report fake phone numbers to the company they impersonate and to Ofcom by texting the number to 7726 • Report to Report Fraud at https://www.reportfraud.police.uk or call 0300 123 2040.

HIGH phishing Last reported: 15 Oct 2026 Share

You search for a company's customer service number and Google or an AI chatbot shows a fake one — calling it reaches a scammer

Q: Is this a scam?

Yes. This is a documented scam pattern. Fraudsters manipulate search engine results and AI chatbots so that when you look up a bank, telecoms provider, or utility helpline, a fake number appears at the top. Calling it reaches a scammer who impersonates the company, harvests personal and bank details, or coaches you into authorising a payment.

Fraudsters manipulate search engine results and AI chatbots so that when you look up a bank, telecoms provider, or utility helpline, a fake number appears at the top. Calling it reaches a scammer who impersonates the company, harvests personal and bank details, or coaches you into authorising a payment.

Also known as: fake customer service number search scam UK, AI search helpline scam, SEO fake phone number fraud UK, chatbot fake support number, fraudulent helpline number Google

Already happened to you? Do this in the next few minutes

1 Call your bank or card's fraud line right now. Use the number on the back of your card — not any number from the message or caller. Ask them to stop or reverse the payment and freeze the account.
2 If you paid by gift card, wire, or an app (Zelle, Venmo, Cash App): contact that company immediately and report it as fraud. Acting fast sometimes recovers the money.
3 Report to the FBI at ic3.gov and the FTC at reportfraud.ftc.gov. The sooner, the better.

What to do right now

1 Never use a phone number found through a search engine, chatbot, or social media ad — find the number on your original bill, the company's official app, or by typing the company's web address yourself
2 If someone claiming to be your bank, telecoms provider, or utility asks you to transfer money or confirm a passcode, hang up and call the number on the back of your card or your original bill
3 The 159 service connects you directly to your real bank's fraud team — if you are unsure whether a call was genuine, hang up and dial 159 before taking any action the caller asked for
4 Report fake phone numbers to the company they impersonate and to Ofcom by texting the number to 7726
5 Report to Report Fraud at https://www.reportfraud.police.uk or call 0300 123 2040.

Red flags

⚠ You found the number through a Google search, a sponsored ad, a chatbot, or a social media post — always check the company's official website or your bill directly
⚠ The 'agent' asks you to confirm sensitive details you would not need to give just to get help — date of birth, sort code, account number, PIN, or a one-time passcode
⚠ The call is longer than expected and the agent keeps asking for more personal verification before connecting you to the 'specialist'
⚠ You are asked to transfer money to a 'holding account' or a 'safe account' while the issue is investigated — no legitimate company does this
⚠ The agent says your account is under investigation and you must act today — urgency is a key manipulation tactic

Already happened to you? Do this in the next few minutes

What to do right now

Red flags

Sources