Stopping the Surge in Phone Scams – How the Channel Can Protect Businesses

The pandemic and the shift from traditional copper telephone networks to internet-based voice services (VoIP) have opened the door to new opportunities — both for legitimate innovation and for scammers. 

With modern voice services now running over IP, it has become far easier and cheaper to make calls from anywhere in the world. Unfortunately, cybercriminals have seized this opportunity to generate fraudulent calls quickly and anonymously, resulting in a sharp rise in scam activity targeting both consumers and businesses. 

Common Scam Tactics 

Scammers continue to use a range of sophisticated methods to trick businesses and individuals, including: 

• Caller ID Spoofing – Masking their real number to appear as a trusted organisation, such as a bank or government agency. 

• Misuse of Number Ranges – Using numbers that should never originate calls, such as emergency services or inbound-only numbers, to appear credible. 

• Phishing by Phone – Posing as IT support to obtain login credentials and gain unauthorised system access. 

• Contact Centre Fraud – Using stolen personal information and spoofed numbers to impersonate legitimate customers. 

• Market Research Scams – Conducting fake surveys to collect personal details, often using numbers that are fake or unallocated. 

How the Channel Can Respond 

Resellers and service providers have a vital role to play in combating these threats, through a combination of education, preventative tools and network-level measures. 

1. Educating Customers – Ensure customers know how legitimate calls should sound and remind them that reputable organisations never request sensitive data such as passwords over the phone. 

2. Expanding Call-Blocking Tools – Implement “Do Not Originate” (DNO) lists to block calls from numbers that should never be used for outbound calling. 

3. Filtering Fraud at Network Level – Apply rules to block suspicious traffic before it reaches end users. 

4. Promoting Anti-Fraud Services – Publicise services such as the ‘159’ hotline, which connects people directly to their bank if they suspect a scam. 

5. Supporting Trace-Back Initiatives – Work with industry bodies to identify the source of scam calls and strengthen enforcement. 

PXC has already taken direct action by blocking certain types of international calls spoofing UK numbers, preventing over 160 million scam calls in 2024 alone. By combining smarter technical defences with proactive customer education, the Channel can make it much harder for scammers to succeed — and help businesses stay secure.