topic Re: 5G - is this a scam? in Security

5G - is this a scam?

estheronions — Tue, 02 Sep 2025 09:35:37 GMT

I received a very convincing phone call yesterday claiming to be EE and offering me a free upgrade to 5G. A PIN number was sent to my email, followed by a confirmation email once I provided the PIN. I held off on taking any further action until I could review the email.

The email looked and sounded authentic, but I’m suspicious that this could be a scam. During the call, they repeatedly stressed that a new 5G SIM card would be delivered to my address “at no extra cost.”

Can you confirm whether this is a genuine EE initiative?

The contents of the email are below.

The phone number they used to call was 020 46041536.

New Sim Card Update

Hi,

We hope this email finds you well.

We are writing this to inform you about our recent update for the benefits of the year 2025 of EE network. We are going to provide Super 5G Network coverage to all customers in that we are also enhancing our customers data limits as well so that you can enjoy the UK's best network services.

So if you are still using a 4G sim card, don't be worried that our EE representative will guide you on how we can convert your 4G sim card to 5g sim card.

We are constantly striving to improve our services!

Thanks,

The EE Team

The legal bit

Please don't reply to this email as we won't see it.

You can read our privacy policy and terms and conditions online.

Learn more about our security tools, and how to protect yourself from scammers.

If you want your bills in a different format, like large print or Braille, you can adjust your accessibility options online. Or call us on 018 9257 3584.

Calls to 018 9257 3584 are free from BT and EE landline and mobile numbers. They're charged at your operator's standard rate from any other numbers.

© EE Limited 2024. We're registered in England at 1 Braham Street, London, United Kingdom, E1 8EE (company number 02382161).

Re: 5G - is this a scam?

bristolian — Tue, 02 Sep 2025 09:57:26 GMT

Fundamentally all EE SIMs are multi-technology - that is, they're not specific to any "G" but support 2G, 4G & 5G. Some older pre-2021 SIMs only support 5G in NSA-mode, which some unscrupulous third parties twist for their own purposes.

What is the "from" line on the email you've copied? There's a few turns of phrase that certainly ring alarm bells, and the grammar is not quite there in a few places.

If you have received a PIN by OTP-type text message and have provided this to a third party whose identity you are unsure of, you should assume that they now have access to your EE account. I would suggest contacting EE-CS on 150 ASAP, to ensure there have been no unexpected changes made.

Re: 5G - is this a scam?

Peter_W — Tue, 02 Sep 2025 10:00:11 GMT

Good morning @estheronions.

Thanks for reaching out to us here on the Community!

Whilst we are currently prompting some customers with older SIMs to upgrade so they can benefit from 5G Standalone, the experience you've shared here doesn't seem to correspond with what we would expect.

The number you have listed here doesn't match one we would usually call from, and we've never branded this service as 'Super 5G' like in this email, too.

I would recommend contacting our customer care team immediately, as if you have provided a PIN to a potentially fraudulent caller, your account may be at risk here.

They will be able to assist you in securing the account, and you can also make sure your online login details are reset by heading to myaccount.ee.co.uk and following the password reset option.

To make sure this is reported to our security team too, I'd also recommend forwarding the email to phishing@ee.co.uk.

Peter

Re: 5G - is this a scam?

estheronions — Tue, 02 Sep 2025 10:00:40 GMT

Many thanks for your response.

Yes, I was aware that some of the phrasing was off.

The email I received had the following sender details and subject line.
From: EE UK <support@eeonlinestore.com>
Sent: 01 September 2025 17:15
To: xxxxxx
Subject: Here's Your New Super 5G Sim Card Update

I'll give EE a call, as you suggest.

Re: 5G - is this a scam?

bristolian — Tue, 02 Sep 2025 10:13:52 GMT

A, ha. The domain eeonlinestore.com is not one operated by EE, the site even gives a "doesn't exist" error for me.

The red-flags keep piling up in this case.