UK mobile customers hit by handset fraud scheme

Fraudsters are calling people who hold mobile contracts in the United Kingdom and claiming to be representatives of major network providers such as Sky, Tesco Mobile, EE, Vodafone and O2. The callers convince victims to provide personal details and then arrange for high‑value smartphones and earphones – often worth around £1,200 for the phone and £200 for the accessories – to be delivered to their address "by mistake".

Victims are instructed to place the devices in a bag and post them back, after which the phone company adds the cost to the customer's bill, effectively stealing the handset. The scheme has already resulted in the loss of nearly 30,000 expensive phones in the previous year, and officials warn that the fraud is expected to intensify throughout 2026.