Fake Network Customer Care Calls and Messages
Callers pretending to be your mobile network's customer care want your PIN, a code or a SIM swap. What real network staff can and cannot ask, and how to check a call.
"Hello, this is customer care from your network." The caller is friendly and professional. There is a problem with your SIM, your line is due for an upgrade, your mobile money account needs verification, or you have won a promotion. To fix it, they just need a code, your PIN, or for you to dial a short code. Fake customer care calls are one of the most common routes to SIM swaps and emptied mobile money wallets.
What fake customer care is after
- Your PIN, to take money from your mobile money wallet.
- A one-time code, to reset your account, move your number or approve a transaction.
- A SIM swap, so your number moves to their SIM and all your codes go to them. See SIM swap fraud.
- Your personal details, to impersonate you at a network shop.
- An approval, by getting you to dial a code or confirm a prompt that sends money.
What real network staff can and cannot ask
| Real staff may | Real staff will never |
|---|---|
| Confirm your name or ask security questions when you call them | Ask for your mobile money PIN or banking password |
| Tell you about official promotions announced publicly | Ask you to read back a code sent to your phone |
| Direct you to an official shop or the official app | Ask you to dial a code they read out to "receive" money |
| Send official notifications about your account | Ask you to transfer money to "secure" or "verify" your wallet |
You never need your PIN to receive money. If a caller asks you to enter your PIN on a prompt to receive a refund or prize, the prompt is sending money from you.
Illustrative example
- A threat to block your SIM today.
- A request to read back a code, which could authorise a SIM swap or account reset.
- What to do: hang up and call the official customer care number, or visit an official shop.
How to check
- Hang up.
- Call your network's official customer care number from its website or the back of your SIM pack, ideally from another phone.
- Ask whether there is any issue with your line or account.
- For SIM or registration matters, visit an official shop with your ID.
For more on checking callers, see how to verify a caller.
If you shared a code or PIN
- Call your network immediately and ask them to block SIM changes and your mobile money account.
- Change your PIN from a trusted device.
- Check for transactions you did not make.
- Watch for sudden loss of signal, a sign of a SIM swap.
- Report it. See how to report a scam.
Got a message from "customer care"? Paste it into CyberWatch AI Scan for a free check.
Scammers also plant fake customer care numbers online; see fake customer care numbers. For mobile money specifically, read our mobile money and banking scams guide, and for all common types of online scams, our complete guide.
Frequently asked questions
Will my mobile network ever ask for my mobile money PIN?
No. Network and mobile money staff do not need your PIN, and they will not ask you to read out codes sent to your phone.
Is a SIM upgrade or registration call genuine?
Networks do sometimes run SIM upgrades or registration drives, but they announce them through official channels and you complete them at official shops or through official apps, not by reading codes to a caller.
The call came from a short code or official-looking number. Is it real?
Not necessarily. Numbers and sender names can be faked. Hang up and call the network's official customer care number yourself.
Sources
- Phone Scams, US Federal Trade Commission
- How To Protect Your Phone From Hackers, US Federal Trade Commission
- Phishing: spot and report scam emails, texts, websites and calls, UK National Cyber Security Centre
