Independent · nothing for sale · not connected to any network Guidance line 020 3896 5248 — information only
teesrition
Independent United Kingdom network guidance
Guidance line020 3896 5248 This number is for guidance and information only. We sell nothing, arrange nothing and act for no network. Ring it if anything on these pages is unclear.
Guide

Scams

The scripts currently used against UK mobile customers, why caller ID proves nothing, and the free checks that settle every one of them.

Written July 2026 · no prices published · nothing for sale

Jump to
Why caller ID proves nothingThings that are free by ruleOne-time codes and number theftWhat to do, and in what order
Scams — at a glanceOur summary. Confirm current terms with the provider.
Caller ID
Trivially faked
Personal details
Widely traded after data breaches
The only reliable test
Whether the offer appears inside the network's own app
Switching codes
Free by regulation
eSIM issue and transfer
Free everywhere
Spend caps
Free everywhere
One-time codes
No genuine employee ever needs one read aloud
After a loss
Bank first, network fraud team second, Action Fraud third
Our position. teesrition is an independent information service for mobile customers in the United Kingdom. We are not a mobile network. We have no affiliation with, endorsement from, appointment by or connection to Three, EE, O2, Vodafone, Sky Mobile, Tesco Mobile or any other provider, and no commercial arrangement with any of them. We do not sell, supply, arrange or broker SIM cards, contracts, handsets or services of any kind, and we take no commission from anybody. Everything here is general information; a provider's own current terms always take precedence.
01

Why caller ID proves nothing

Identity

Displayed numbers can be faked in seconds, and names, addresses and even plan details circulate freely after data breaches. A caller who seems to know all about you has proved precisely nothing.

Do this
  • Open the app and look for the offer before responding.
  • If it is not there, end the call.
02

Things that are free by rule

Invented fees
Free by rule or designThe fee criminals invent
PAC and STAC switching codesAn 'admin fee' to release them
eSIM issue, transfer and reissueA 'transfer service' or 'migration charge'
Satellite messaging trialsAn 'activation fee'
Spend capsAny charge at all
Merger changesA 'plan migration' that exists on no network
Do this
  • Refuse any charge attached to something that is free by regulation.
  • Forward scam texts to 7726, free of charge.
03

One-time codes and number theft

Codes

No employee of any network, in any situation, needs you to read out a one-time security code. Those codes exist specifically to stop the person who is asking for them.

WarningIf your phone loses service for no reason and does not recover, that can indicate your number has been transferred to somebody else's device. Ring the network's fraud line immediately from a different telephone.
Do this
  • Read one-time codes to nobody.
  • Report a sudden unexplained loss of service immediately.
04

What to do, and in what order

Response

Order matters, because the bank can stop or recall money that the network cannot.

Do this
  • If money has moved: your bank first.
  • The network's fraud team second.
  • Action Fraud third, for the crime reference banks require.
  • Keep every message, number and timestamp.

Still unsure after reading this?

Ring us and we will go through it with you. Nothing is offered for sale at any point.

020 3896 5248This number is for guidance and information only. We sell nothing, arrange nothing and act for no network. Ring it if anything on these pages is unclear.
Our position. teesrition is an independent information service for mobile customers in the United Kingdom. We are not a mobile network. We have no affiliation with, endorsement from, appointment by or connection to Three, EE, O2, Vodafone, Sky Mobile, Tesco Mobile or any other provider, and no commercial arrangement with any of them. We do not sell, supply, arrange or broker SIM cards, contracts, handsets or services of any kind, and we take no commission from anybody. Everything here is general information; a provider's own current terms always take precedence.

Ring us if these pages do not cover it

We hold no arrangement with any network, take no commission and sell nothing at all. If your question is not answered here, telephone and ask.

020 3896 5248 Guidance and information only. We sell nothing, arrange nothing and act for no network.
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Our position. teesrition is an independent information service for mobile customers in the United Kingdom. We are not a mobile network. We have no affiliation with, endorsement from, appointment by or connection to Three, EE, O2, Vodafone, Sky Mobile, Tesco Mobile or any other provider, and no commercial arrangement with any of them. We do not sell, supply, arrange or broker SIM cards, contracts, handsets or services of any kind, and we take no commission from anybody. Everything here is general information; a provider's own current terms always take precedence.

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