Who called me?
Check an unknown UK number before you ring back. Private, about 60 seconds.
To work out who called from a UK number there are three steps: read the code, because it already tells you whether the call came from a mobile, a geographic landline, a non-geographic 03 line, an expensive 070 personal number or a premium 09 line, search the number in Google inside quotation marks, and run a reverse lookup on anything that is not openly listed. The caller is never notified, and results are possible matches rather than certainty.
Reading UK dialling codes correctly
- 07
- A mobile number on EE, O2, Vodafone, Three or one of the virtual networks such as Giffgaff, Sky Mobile or Tesco Mobile. Normal for a personal call. A brand new mobile with no trace at all is still a signal in its own right when the call was unexpected.
- 020, 0121, 0161, 0113, 0141, 0131, 029, 028
- Geographic landlines: London, Birmingham, Manchester, Leeds, Glasgow, Edinburgh, Cardiff and Northern Ireland. A genuine local business usually calls from one of these, and the area ought to match the story you are being told.
- 03
- Non-geographic, charged at the same rate as a normal landline call and included in inclusive minutes. Government departments, the NHS and charities use 03 numbers precisely because they cost the caller no more than an 01 or 02 number.
- 070
- Personal numbering, and the range most often mistaken for a mobile. It looks like an 07 mobile at a glance but it is a forwarding service that can cost a great deal per minute, and it hides where the call actually ends up. Treat an unexpected 070 number with real caution.
- 0800 and 0808
- Freephone. Genuine company service lines, and free to call from both landlines and mobiles. Ringing one back costs you nothing.
- 084 and 087
- Service numbers with a per-minute service charge on top of your access charge. Legitimate and widely used, but not free, so check the number really belongs to the organisation before ringing back.
- 09
- Premium rate, and the most expensive range there is. No genuine organisation asks you to ring back a 09 number you did not dial yourself. If one does, that is already your answer.
- +44
- The international form of a UK number. A call showing +44 is usually a domestic call displayed in full international format, or somebody abroad calling from a UK number.
- An unfamiliar country code that rings once
- A foreign code, a single ring, then nothing. That is a wangiri or one-ring scam: the profit is in your call back, which connects to an expensive line. Do not ring back, just block.
The phone scams most common in the UK
Almost every one of these gives itself away the moment you check the number instead of believing the story. These are the patterns UK households run into most:
Courier fraud
The UK pattern with the highest losses per victim, and the least well known. Someone calls claiming to be from your bank's fraud team or from the police, says your account has been compromised or that they are investigating a corrupt bank employee, and then asks you to withdraw cash, buy an expensive item, or hand your card to a courier who will call at your door. All of it is invented. No bank and no police force will ever send someone to collect your card, your PIN or your cash. Hang up, wait five minutes for the line to clear or use a different phone, and dial 159 to reach your bank safely.
The safe account scam
A call, apparently from your bank's fraud department, saying your account is under attack and your money must be moved to a new safe account. There is no such thing as a safe account, and the moment somebody offers you one the call is a scam. Hang up and dial 159, which connects you directly to your bank.
Royal Mail and courier delivery texts
A text claiming to be from Royal Mail, Evri, DPD or Yodel saying a parcel is waiting and a small fee is outstanding, with a link. The link leads to a page that harvests card details. No delivery company collects customs charges or redelivery fees through a link in a text message. Check tracking only in the official app or by typing the address yourself, and forward the text to 7726.
HMRC and National Insurance scams
An automated or live call claiming you owe tax, that a warrant has been issued, or that your National Insurance number has been compromised and used in fraud. HMRC does not threaten arrest over the phone and does not demand immediate payment by transfer or voucher. Hang up and contact HMRC through the number on the official GOV.UK website.
"Hi Mum" WhatsApp messages
A WhatsApp message from an unknown number claiming to be your son or daughter with a new phone, followed shortly by a request to pay a bill urgently because their banking app is not set up yet. The rule that beats every version of this: ring the old, known number and check, before a single pound moves.
Fake tech support
A call saying your computer or router is infected and that you must install remote access software so it can be fixed. Once installed, the other side can see your screen and reach your online banking. No software company rings you unprompted about a virus.
One-ring calls from abroad
A single ring from an unfamiliar international code. The money is made on your call back, which connects to a premium line. Do not ring back, block the number, and report it if it repeats.
Common questions
How do I find out who called from an unknown number?
Read the dialling code, search the number in Google inside quotation marks, and run a reverse lookup. The reverse lookup returns a likely owner, the area, the line type and scam signals in about 60 seconds, without the caller knowing.
How do I stop marketing calls in the UK?
Register with the Telephone Preference Service, which is free and makes it unlawful for companies to cold-call you for marketing. Registration takes about 28 days to take full effect. Blocking the number on your handset deals with anything that ignores it.
What is 159 and when should I use it?
159 is a shortcut that connects you straight to your own bank's fraud team, set up so that you never have to trust a number given to you by a caller. If anyone rings claiming to be your bank, hang up and dial 159 instead.
Where do I report a scam call or text in the UK?
Forward scam texts to 7726, which is free, and report fraud to Action Fraud, or to Police Scotland if you are in Scotland. If money has already moved, ring your bank immediately on 159. Ofcom regulates number misuse and premium rate services.
Guides on unknown numbers
Whose number is this?
Had a call or text from an unknown UK number? The three approaches that actually work, what each one costs, and where a free search stops working.
Searching a UK number for free
Which methods cost nothing on a UK number, what each returns, and the point where a free search reliably stops being able to help. 1M+ lookups.
Who keeps calling me?
The same unknown UK number ringing again and again? How to tell marketing from an automated dialler, a real person or a scam, and how to stop it.
Is this number a scam?
The signals that reliably identify a UK phone scam, why courier fraud costs the most, and exactly what to do if money or details have already gone.
Spotting a fake delivery text
A text claiming a parcel is held and a small fee is due. How the real Royal Mail, Evri and DPD messages differ from the fake ones, and what to do next.
Is my partner on dating apps?
What a number or email address can genuinely reveal, what cannot be checked at all, and how to read a result without reading too much into it. 1M+ lookups.
Find out who is really behind the number
The check is private and takes about 60 seconds. The person is not notified and never finds out you looked.
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