New measures to stop scam calls from abroad

New measures implemented by Ofcom will help protect you against scammers who call from abroad and imitate UK numbers.

Number spoofing, which is when fraudsters change the display number the call is coming from, is a common tactic used to appear more legitimate and trustworthy.

Although scam calls are decreasing, they still remain a problem and spoofing can be an incredibly deceptive scam

Which? recently reported on data provided by Who Called Me to reveal the the biggest scam calls of the year, which also included 1,172 reports of suspected spoofed numbers.

Read on find out what the new measures mean and how it might affect you.

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What is Ofcom doing?

Ofcom already requires phone operators to block Network Numbers, which identify the origin of the call. 

It will now require phone operators to identify and block calls from abroad which are spoofing UK 'Presentation Numbers', which is the number that the call recipient sees.

BT has already implemented these new measures and stopped up to one million calls a day from entering its network within the first month.

Mobile numbers using '+447' will be exempt so that calls from UK roamers calling home won't be blocked.

Phone service providers will have six months to implement these changes, giving them to 29 January 2025. 

Ofcom also considered launching ‘Calling Line Identification (CLI) authentication', where the network from which the call originates confirms the authenticity of the caller’s telephone number before passing it to the network of the person receiving the call.

While Which? supports Ofcom's measures to tackle number spoofing, we were disappointed to see Ofcom's decision not to proceed with CLI authentication.

Ofcom has said it may still choose to re-examine this at a later date.

Protecting yourself from spoofed scam calls

Sadly, this doesn't mean you can start trusting unexpected calls. 

Not all scam calls will be captured by this change and phone providers don't have to block these calls until January 2025. 

You can also stay protected from scam callers by:

• Never giving callers financial information over the phone.
• Registering with the Telephone Preference Service (TPS) which will stop sales and marketing calls to your phone number, so when you receive a call, you'll know it’s a scammer.
• Installing a call blocker to filter out dodgy calls. 
• Using a different phone or waiting for at least 15 minutes before calling a company back on a trusted number. This is because scammers may be able to keep your phone line open even after you’ve hung up.
• Calling 159 if you receive a call claiming to be from your bank. When you call, you'll be put through to your bank's genuine customer service line, but only some banks are involved in the scheme.

Reporting scam calls

For scam calls received on an iPhone, text the word ‘call’ followed by the phone number to 7726.

On an Android, text the word ‘call’ to 7726. You’ll then receive a message asking you for the scam number.

On WhatsApp, open the WhatsApp chat with the dodgy phone number and tap 'report contact' and 'block'.

If you become the victim of a scam, call your bank immediately using the number on the back of your bank card and report it to Action Fraud, or call the police on 101 if you’re in Scotland.