Sky alerts customers of shock £10 call fee mistake and warns people not to be ‘caught out’ by ‘concerning trend’

SKY has alerted customers of a "concerning trend" that sees customers duped into paying £10 per minute for calls to the company.

Fraudulent sites have been found directing users to phone numbers that charge exorbitant rates to connect to Sky contact centres.

Normally, calls to Sky contact centres are inclusive for Sky Mobile and Sky Talk customers - and for anyone else it usually just comes out of their minute allowance.

"These scams operate by manipulating Google results or using deceptive ads to target people looking for Sky’s support," the firm writes on its website.

"Once you dial these numbers, you're hit with high charges.

"This scheme exploits our customers' need for assistance."

The broadcaster is reminding customers that it never uses premium rate numbers for support and people should pay extra attention to the numbers they dial.

Ofcom says calls to 03 numbers cost no more than a national rate call to an 01 or 02 number - and must count towards any inclusive minutes in the same way as 01 and 02 calls.

Usually, these are included in free call packages but if you call an 01/02 number outside of any inclusive minutes, they can cost between 3p and 65p per minute.

Phone numbers that start with 09 are premium rate, which typically have a service charge and an access charge.

You can block the ability to call 09 numbers from your phone by contacting your network provider.

Sky is telling customers "don’t get caught out" and "always use our official Sky contact numbers to avoid extra charges".