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Mobile networks including BT EE, VodafoneThree and Virgin Media O2 are to block foreign call centres from impersonating banks in a crackdown to eliminate call spoofing “within a year”.

New call tracing technology will “hunt down” scammers and victims will receive faster support, the Home Office said. The agreement between the Government and industry will see a raft of measures to safeguard the UK’s mobile network from fraud.

The increased protection will involve identifying the provider that connects the call to the customer and asking who they got the call from, with the process continuing “upstream” until the source of the call is identified, the Home Office said.

Victims will also see swifter support from phone networks, with help times to be cut to two weeks.

Scam calls

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