This morning I got a scammer ringing me claiming to be from British Gas and there had been a problem with the meter - I knew this was a scam so put the phone down on them.
Got another call this afternoon from someone supposedly from British Gas saying that my contract was due for renewal (a lie as I have a fixed rate tariff which doesn't end for ages). I decided to play a game with him just to waste his time. I tried to get him to say what my customer number was. After quite some time he said a number which isn't my customer number. (as I've had these calls before I had printed off a couple and have them to hand for when a scammer rings). The only number he was able to quote accurately was the electricity supply number (MPAN). That proves nothing as there's a national database of those which is publicly available. That's the only number which is, the customer number and meter number aren't. The equivalent for gas - gas meter point reference number (MPRN) isn't publicly available. That's why scammers will try the electricity contract rather than gas.
The caller eventually put me through to his manager who tried the same but got nowhere.
Eventually I terminated the call but managed to waste 20 minutes of their time.
They assumed that I have a business tariff which I don't and I couldn't even if I wanted to. If I had been taken in by them they would have sent me a contract on the basis that I had agreed to it. The important thing is not to say anything which sounds as if you've agreed with them or give any further information - they will know your name, your phone number, probably your address and that MPAN number but nothing else.