Scam phone calls are a well-known method employed by scammers to coax people into divulging their personal details – but crucially there are ways to protect yourself
Brits should avoid answering the phone to a string of numbers which begin with any of these 10 dialling codes.
Specialists have identified the beginnings of longer phone numbers as ones which are premium rate, so just answering these will incur a cost. It comes as scam phone calls continue to pester Brits, and often try to coax us into divulging their personal details. Certain dialling codes are particularly fiendish, experts say.
Jordan Parkes, from 1 Click Marketing, advises to give these calls the cold shoulder completely or risk saying goodbye to your hard-earned cash.” Fraudsters might call you, but hang up as soon as you answer. It’s probably just an automated dialer, not a real person. This will show up as a missed call, and many people might call back thinking it’s urgent, ” warns the tech whizz.
“Be careful of calls from numbers that start with 0945, 0843 or 070. These often have premium-rate charges that can be extremely high,” Parkes states unequivocally. “You can get charged just for answering the call, even if you don’t speak to anyone. In some cases, they’ll keep you on the line with a message to increase the charges,” continues Jordan.
Speaking to Birmingham Live, Jordan flagged the 10 dialling codes which are common – but are premium rate – and suggests not to even answer to any calls from numbers starting with the following combinations:
- 0945
- 0843
- 070
- 845
- 076
- 084
- 087
- 090
- 091
- 118
Jordan added: “Remember, don’t answer a call from an unknown number, especially if it starts with one of the listed area codes. If you receive a missed call from a suspicious number, don’t call back. Instead, try searching the number online to see if it’s associated with scams,” he suggests.
“Staying vigilant and not answering unfamiliar numbers, especially those with area codes tied to premium-rate charges, can protect you from unnecessary losses,” the expert advises. They also recommend keeping a close eye on your phone bill for any unusual charges and to report any suspicious activity to your service provider immediately.
