I would just like to warn all readers of a phone scam that is currently going on and unfortunately constituents of mine have already been targeted. People receive a call from a fake BT worker who threatens to disconnect your phone line if you don’t pay an unpaid bill over the phone immediately.

If you don’t comply the caller will then offer to demonstrate that he is actually from BT and will deceive you into thinking he has cut your line. They will ask you to hang up and try using your phone by calling someone else. What the caller then does is stay on the line with the mute button on which means you can’t dial out as the person who usually terminates a call is the one who initiates it in the first place. The caller will then call you back demanding the payment. Of course the fact that the phone does go dead would probably convince many that the situation was real. The police advice is to inform as many people as possible about the scam and of course to completely ignore the caller’s demands.