The easiest way to avoid this entire class of attack, is to never be willing to answer any kind of question from someone who calls you. Always hang up, Google the customer support line for the business, then call them.
On UK landlines the call is not terminated until the person who made the call hangs up. That is to say if I call you, you answered and then hung up, then waited a minute and picked up the phone again, I'd still be there and the connection still made.
Scammers phoned people, told them there is an account issue and to phone the number on the reverse of their credit or debit card. The scammers keep the line open and play a recording of a dial tone to the target phoning back and then go through garnering all the details needed to rinse the accounts.
I believe in response UK phone networks are implementing time limits on one sided terminations
I always thought the expectation of interrupting whatever you're doing at a few seconds notice was incredibly rude anyway, even more so now we have so many other ways of communicating.
Phones seem just as dangerous these days. I don't answer them at all. Anyone who really needs to get in touch knows multiple services that will get through to me.
https://www.forbes.com/sites/leemathews/2018/11/26/fraudster...