Scam calls and messages

Ofcom is today proposing to strengthen its guidance on how telecoms companies should protect people in the UK from international calls that imitate UK mobile numbers.

We are proposing changes to our CLI Guidance, on how providers should process calls from abroad that appear to present a UK mobile number, to protect people and businesses from spoofing.

Phone providers must now all block calls from abroad which imitate UK landline numbers, under strengthened industry guidance which has now come into force.

Protecting consumers from harm caused by scams facilitated by phone calls is a priority for Ofcom. A common tactic used by scammers is to ‘spoof’ telephone numbers to disguise the origination of the call, or to make their call appear to be from a trusted person or organisation.

This Call for input covers Short Message Service (SMS) and Rich Communications Services (RCS). Both require a user’s mobile telephone number in order to deliver a message over the mobile network and therefore are directly in scope of Ofcom’s telecoms regulatory powers and duties.

At this time of year it pays to be extra vigilant when it comes to scams. So, we wanted to remind you of a few common scams to watch out for, to help you avoid falling victim.

People will be better protected against scammers who call from abroad and imitate UK landline numbers, under strengthened industry guidance introduced by Ofcom today.

In 2021 and 2022 Ofcom conducted research which looked at measures that could be taken by industry to prevent suspicious calls and messages reaching consumers. In 2024, research was conducted to update the previous research by exploring experiences of suspicious calls, texts and app messages.

How Ofcom is responding to the widespread problem of scam calls and texts.