Elderly and vulnerable people in Norfolk have been warned not to fall victim to fraudsters as telephone landlines are set to change.
Between now and 2025, most UK phone companies will be switching customers from traditional analogue landlines to digital technology – known as Voice over Internet Protocol (VoIP) - which requires broadband connection.
Phone providers will be contacting customers about the change and for most people the switch will only involve plugging their landline phone into a broadband router instead of a wall-mounted socket.
For customers who don’t own a broadband router, their phone providers will still be able to set them up on the new landline.
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But Steffan Aquarone, the Liberal Democrats’ party prospective candidate for north Norfolk, fears people could be at-risk of being caught out by fraudsters looking to capitalise on the changeover.
“My main concern is to protect vulnerable residents from fraudulent selling of unnecessary devices in anticipation of the change,” he said.
“Your phone provider will contact you. If you are ever in any doubt, hang up and call the number on your bill from your provider.”
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People can register as vulnerable by contacting their provider, which will mean they will be able to continue using their existing analogue landline for longer, being pushed to the back of the list to make the switch.
There are also concerns about people becoming cut-off in the event of a power cut because the new landlines, which require broadband connection, will go down.
“Another concern is what happens in a power cut as currently fixed-line landlines usually still work even if the power goes down,” Mr Aquarone said.
“This is a particular concern in areas with no phone signal.
“As well as ignoring calls about this from anyone other than their telephone provider, residents should contact their provider proactively and register themselves as vulnerable.
“This way they will get extra support making the transition and should receive a backup battery if needed.”
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