Who called me?

What the first digits mean

Marked in orange: numbers Ofcom says not to call back if you don’t recognise them.

• 01, 02Landline, linked to an area
• 03UK-wide, priced like a landline
• 071 to 075, 077 to 079Mobile
• 0800, 0808Free to call
• 070Personal number, not a mobile
• 076Radiopaging
• 084, 087Service charge on top of the call
• 09Premium rate, up to £3.60 a minute
• 118Directory enquiries

Numbers starting 04 and 06 are not used in the UK. See all 754 area codes.

Had a suspicious call?

What the official bodies tell you to do.

• If the caller said they were your bank, HMRC, a delivery company or another organisation, hang up and call back on a number from their official website or your statement, never one the caller gave you. The number on your screen can be faked.

• If you think the call was a scam, send the number in a text to 7726. It is free, and your mobile provider can investigate and block the number. From your recent calls, copy the number and paste it into a new text to 7726.

• Shared bank details or sent money? Contact your bank straight away using the number on the back of your card, or call 159 to be connected to your bank.

• Lost money or details to a scam: report it to Report Fraud online or on 0300 123 2040 (England, Wales and Northern Ireland). In Scotland, call Police Scotland on 101.

• Unwanted sales calls: register free with the Telephone Preference Service (online or on 0345 070 0707). It tells legitimate marketers not to call you but will not block scam calls. If a company keeps calling, complain to the ICO.

• Where to report a callWhich official service deals with which call: 7726, Report Fraud, Police Scotland, the ICO, Ofcom, the TPS and HMRC, with the numbers and links to use.
• Missed call from an unknown numberWhy some scam calls ring once and hang up, which number ranges cost the most to call back, and what to do if you have already been charged.
• A call “from your bank”Hang up, call 159 or the number on your card. What banks never ask for on the phone, and what to do if you have already paid.
• Calls claiming to be HMRCHow HMRC says it contacts people, its list of genuine contacts, and the official ways to report a suspicious HMRC call, text or email.
• Faked caller ID (spoofing)Why the number on your screen proves nothing, what UK phone companies now block, and how to check a call that looks genuine.
• 070 and 076 numbersWhat personal numbers and radiopaging numbers are, what they cost to call, and why Ofcom says not to call them back if you do not recognise them.
• 0300, 0333 and 0345 numbersWhat the different 03 numbers are for, the rule that they cost no more than a landline call, and which phone companies hold the most 0333 and 0345 blocks.
• Block unwanted callsBlocking on iPhone and Android, what EE, O2, Vodafone and Three offer, landline options, and what the Telephone Preference Service does and does not stop.