The communication's regulator has announced a crackdown on scam calls which originate from abroad but imitate trusted UK numbers which are more likely to be picked up by unsuspecting users.
The “strengthened industry guidance” introduced by Ofcom today means phone companies now have to spot and block calls from abroad which falsely display UK telephone numbers.
A common tactic used by fraudsters is to imitate or ‘spoof’ UK numbers purporting to be from a trusted person, organisation, or Government department, so people are more likely to pick up than if an international number calls the handset.
But by blocking numbers which falsely display a UK telephone number as a ‘presentation number’, this should better protect millions of users from unsolicited and potentially fraudulent calls.
See YourMoney.com’s story which explains ‘presentation number’, ‘network number’, ‘Calling Line Identification’ and ‘Voice over Internet Protocol’ to understand more about how calls are spoofed and the action Ofcom has taken to tackle them.
Ofcom said the guidance will apply to all phone companies except in a limited number of legitimate cases, such as when a call centre wants to make a call on behalf of a different business or they may wish to display a single number for outbound calls.
It revealed that BT has already prevented up to one million calls per day from entering its network within the first month of implementing these measures on a voluntary basis, with this updated guidance set to ensure this becomes “standard practice across the industry”.
As well as battling the landline issue, Ofcom has also launched a consultation to find solutions to fix scammers using mobile numbers which replicate the (+447) UK call code. This closes on 23 September.
Keeping up with the scammers
The call to action from the regulator comes as just under half (48%) of landline users in the UK said they had received a suspicious call in the last three months. Which although is almost half of the population is down from 56% in 2021, according to the regulator.
Scam callers are also dropping to mobile phone users, with suspicious calls falling from 45% to 39% in the same timeframe.
Suspicious texts have also fallen for UK mobile phone users over the last three years, down from 74% to 56% in three years.
In May 2023, networks were required to block spoofed calls purporting to be from banks or any trusted organisation “where technically feasible”.
‘Scam calls remain widespread’
Lindsey Fussell, the group director for networks and communications at Ofcom, said: “Criminals who defraud people by exploiting phone networks cause huge distress and financial harm to their victims.
“While there’s encouraging signs that scam calls and texts are declining, they remain widespread and we’re keeping our foot to the throttle to find new and innovative ways to tackle the problem.”
Fussell added: “Under our strengthened industry guidance, millions more scam calls from abroad which use spoofed UK landline numbers will be blocked – with similar plans underway for calls which spoof UK mobile numbers.”
Ernest Doku, telecoms expert at Uswitch.com, said: “We support the additional measures announced by Ofcom to prevent consumers being targeted by scam callers from abroad pretending to be a UK number.
“While making changes like this can take time, Ofcom’s six-month timeline may mean a delay before we see a reduction in these types of phone scams, as the deadline for these stricter measures to be implemented isn’t until 29 January 2025.
Doku added: “Recent changes from providers such as EE and VMO2 to reduce the impact of scam calls show that this is, rightly so, an issue being taken seriously by the industry.
“We know that the devastating impact of scam calls can be emotional as well as financial, so Ofcom must continue to prioritise the safety of consumers and ensure this six-month implementation deadline is met by all providers.”
