The UK's Information Commissioner's Office (ICO) is investigating a surge in complaints about automated "robo calls" asking recipients to add the caller on WhatsApp, suspected to lead to recruitment scams or phishing attempts. With over 3,600 complaints logged in September alone—a five-year high—the ICO warns that millions of people could be receiving these suspicious messages. Simon Fell from the Communications Crime Strategy Group suggests these scams might involve fraudulent job listings for money muling activities or simple phishing exercises aiming to gather personal data.
Written locally by qwen2.5:14b on 2026-10-08,
using this article's own text rather than the other coverage of the
same event (that is the story summary below).
Story summary
In September 2023, the UK's Information Commissioner's Office (ICO) received over 3,600 complaints about automated calls asking recipients to add the caller on WhatsApp, marking a five-year high and nearly three times the number of complaints from July. These "robo calls," often originating from numbers that appear to be UK mobiles, are suspected to lead to recruitment scams such as fake job listings or money muling schemes. Simon Fell, from the Communications Crime Strategy Group, noted it's likely a recruitment scam but couldn't confirm due to not investigating further. The ICO advises people to ignore and report unrecognized calls.
Written for “WhatsApp Scam Calls Investigation” on 2026-10-09,
grounded in this article and the 0 other(s) covering the same event.
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No political leaning scored for article 67165 · logged 2026-10-08
- Published
The UK's data watchdog is investigating a spike in complaints about "robo calls" - where a recorded voice asks you to add them on WhatsApp - that are suspected to lead to a recruitment scam.
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that → publish → scam
The Information Commission's Office (ICO) had more than 3,600 complaints about automated calls in September - a five-year high and nearly three times the number it had in July.
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it → have → July
But it suspects millions of people are getting these calls and told BBC Radio 4's You and Yours it was "deeply concerned" by the sharp rise.
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it → suspect → rise
The ICO advises people to ignore calls from numbers they don't recognise, and to block and report any suspicious calls to the watchdog.
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they → advise → watchdog
The automated calls typically come from what appears to be a UK mobile number.
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what → automate → ?
Some of the recorded messages mention an offer of part-time work.
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Some → record → work
Simon Fell, from the Communications Crime Strategy Group, a telecoms industry body set up to tackle fraud, said he couldn't be sure exactly what form the scam would take as he hadn't followed up on the messages.
"Mostly likely it would be a recruitment scam," he said.
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he → set → messages
"They would either put you through to a fake job listing, which might involve some form of money muling.
uncertain
which → put → muling
It could look like a completely legitimate job, or something ad hoc, but they might pass criminal funds through your account which can lead to terrible consequences.
"
uncertain
which → look → consequences
It could also be a simple phishing exercise - criminals send out these messages, and what they really want to know is who's picking up, who's active - that information can be resold on the dark web.
uncertain
information → send → web
At the end of the day this is a criminal that has reached out to you and they're trying to defraud you in some way shape or form.
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they → reach → shape
'Tip of the iceberg'
Andy Curry, the ICO's head of criminal investigations, told the BBC he believed the calls were coming from abroad.
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calls → tell → BBC
"We are trying to find who is behind this, why they're doing it and the impact it's having on members of the public," he said.
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he → try → public
The number of complaints received by the ICO would only be a small proportion of the totals affected, he said.
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he → receive → totals
"We think there are probably millions of people who are receiving these messages, which appear to us to be largely indiscriminate.
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which → think → us
"I've had them, my colleague who's leading the investigation has had them.
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who → have → them
Fell said that mobile companies were "working on a range of fronts" to tackle the influx of automated calls.
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companies → say → calls
This includes sending intelligence reports to the regulator Ofcom, working with law enforcement, and liaising with Meta, which owns WhatsApp, because if someone does follow up on the request to add the number to the encrypted platform, "any dialogue that happens between you and the criminal then can't be investigated any further".
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that → include → you
A WhatsApp spokesman said there were features in place to protect its users from scam calls, including silencing calls from unknown numbers.
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spokesman → say → numbers
He also said WhatsApp banned millions of accounts each year for "malicious behaviours", such as bulk account registration or automated messaging.
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WhatsApp → say → registration
While these calls typically appear to be from a UK mobile number, Fell said these numbers will be imitated, or spoofed, by the criminals behind the scam.
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numbers → appear → scam
Last November, the UK government promised, external that call spoofing would be eliminated within a year.
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spoofing → promise → year
A Home Office spokesman said the government was taking "robust action" to tackle scams.
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government → say → scams
"We remain committed to delivering the Telecommunications Charter, alongside industry, by November," he added.
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he → remain → November
The Aporia
