Should you call back a number you do not know?
Updated
A missed call from an unknown number is annoying, and a little bit worrying. The safest answer is: look it up first.
The one-ring trick
Some callers ring once and hang up before you can answer. The aim is to make you call back, sometimes to a number that charges a lot per minute or per call. This is often called a Wangiri scam. The call may look like it comes from an ordinary mobile or a foreign number.
Which numbers are most risky to ring back
- 09 numbers are premium rate and can be very expensive from the moment the call connects.
- 070 numbers look like mobiles but are personal numbers that can cost much more to call.
- 084 and 087 numbers have a service charge and are not part of inclusive minutes.
- International numbers you do not recognise can carry high charges.
0800 and 0808 numbers are free to call, and 01, 02, 03 and 07 mobile numbers are charged at normal rates, but that does not make an unknown caller trustworthy.
What to do
- Type the number into the search box on our home page and read what others reported.
- If it looks genuine and you want to reply, use a number you can verify, such as one printed on a bill or official website.
- If it looks like a scam, block it and report it.
If you already called back
Check your next bill for the charge. If you were billed for a premium-rate call you did not expect, contact your phone provider, and consider a complaint to the Phone-paid Services Authority. Ask your provider whether you can bar premium-rate and international calls.