Andrew Pickett
Managing Director, OmegaIT · OmegaIT
Editorial lead, WhoCalledLookup. 54 published guides.
About
Andrew Pickett is the editorial lead behind WhoCalledLookup and the Managing Director of OmegaIT, a UK technology consultancy specialising in telecoms data, identity verification and AI-powered consumer tools.
On WhoCalledLookup the role covers the full editorial chain: the Ofcom Numbering Data ingest pipeline that powers every lookup, the AI internet check methodology that summarises public-web context for each number, and the long-form cornerstone guides covering UK number formats, range-holder allocation, scam-call patterns and consumer reporting routes.
Editorial focus is on making official UK telecoms data — the kind that normally sits behind regulator portals and developer APIs — usable by ordinary people in the few seconds between a missed call and a decision about whether to ring back. Every guide on the site is written from primary sources (Ofcom, ICO, Action Fraud, HMRC, gov.uk, ITU) with explicit citation rather than from re-summarised industry blogs.
Areas of focus
- UK telecoms numbering & Ofcom data pipelines
- Caller-fraud and call-trace analysis
- Consumer-facing AI tooling and editorial oversight
- PECR / UK GDPR compliance for consumer-data products
Profiles
Editorial standards
Every guide written under this byline follows the WhoCalledLookup editorial policy and the data pipeline documented on the methodology page. Every factual claim is anchored to a named primary source from the consolidated bibliography. Corrections route through the contact page.
Guides by Andrew (54)
Sorted by most-recently updated.
- How to Trace a UK Phone Number — Free Legal Options 2026
How to trace a UK phone number in 2026 — what's free, what's legal, what's not, and what each method actually returns. Range holder, 1471, 159, BT trace, police, and where the line is for ordinary users.
Lookup · Published 21 May 2026
- Ofcom Range Holder Lookup — Find Who Owns Any UK Number
Free Ofcom range holder lookup. Paste any UK phone number to see which Communications Provider Ofcom allocated the range to, plus the allocation status, prefix and town. Updated weekly from the official feed.
Lookup · Published 21 May 2026
- Amazon scam calls UK — Prime, account, refund
The four 2026 Amazon-impersonation scripts (account lock, Prime renewal, £999 order, refund), the red flags Amazon publish, and how to report safely.
Safety · Updated 16 May 2026
- Microsoft scam calls UK — Windows tech support
Windows security alert and your-computer-is-infected scripts. Why Microsoft never cold-calls UK consumers, and recovering after an AnyDesk install.
Safety · Updated 16 May 2026
- Energy scam calls UK — refund and smart-meter
The 2026 UK energy-scam scripts — refund, smart-meter, tariff, government-rebate. How British Gas / Octopus / EDF really contact you. Reporting routes.
Safety · Updated 16 May 2026
- Investment scam calls UK — pension and crypto
The 2026 UK investment-scam scripts — pension release, crypto opportunity, bond mis-selling, recovery fraud. FCA ScamSmart checklist and reporting.
Safety · Updated 16 May 2026
- AI voice scam calls UK — clones and deepfakes
AI voice scam calls in 2026 — family-emergency clones, CEO-fraud deepfakes, bank imposters. The safe-word defence, how clones are made, and how to report.
Safety · Updated 16 May 2026
- Police scam calls UK — courier and warrant
The UK police-impersonation scripts — courier collection, arrest warrant, 'help us catch a fraudster'. What real police never do, and how to report.
Safety · Updated 16 May 2026
- Insurance scam calls UK — accident and refund
The UK insurance-scam scripts — accident claim, premium refund, policy renewal. Why claims-management cold-calling is illegal, and how to report.
Safety · Updated 16 May 2026
- What is 159? UK Stop Scams safe bank callback
159 explained — the free UK Stop Scams service that connects you straight to your bank's fraud team without going through any caller-controlled menu.
Safety · Updated 15 May 2026
- Spoofed UK numbers — how to spot and report them
How to spot a spoofed UK phone number — what CLI spoofing is, the four signs that give it away, how Ofcom's 2026 CLI authentication helps, and where to report.
Safety · Updated 15 May 2026
- Withheld number UK — block, trace and 1471 / 1572
Withheld 'No Caller ID' calls in the UK — read the last withheld number with 1471, block with 1572, or request a Malicious Call Trace.
Safety · Updated 15 May 2026
- HMRC scam call UK — the scripts and how to respond
HMRC scam call UK — the four current 2026 HMRC-impersonation scripts, the red flags HMRC themselves publish, and the right route to report.
Safety · Updated 15 May 2026
- Royal Mail scam call UK — re-delivery fees
Royal Mail scam call UK explained — the re-delivery fee text-then-call pattern, why couriers never collect fees by phone, and how to report.
Safety · Updated 15 May 2026
- Bank scam calls UK — the scripts and how to respond
Bank scam calls UK — the four 2026 bank-impersonation scripts (safe account, OTP, fraud verification, card-cancellation), why 159 is the single best defence.
Safety · Updated 15 May 2026
- VoIP numbers UK — what they are, 056 vs 020
VoIP numbers UK explained — the 056 location-independent range, VoIP on geographic 020 / 0121 numbers, cost, who uses them, and how to identify a VoIP caller.
How it works · Updated 15 May 2026
- UK phone number portability — keep your number
How UK number portability actually works — PAC and STAC codes, One Touch Switch, why the Range Holder may not match the current network, what it means.
How it works · Updated 15 May 2026
- UK short codes — 999, 112, 101, 105, 116
UK short-code numbers explained — when to use 999 vs 112 vs 101, what 105 / 116 / 118 are for, and the free safety services every UK resident should know.
Reference · Updated 15 May 2026
- UK mobile networks by 07 prefix
Which UK mobile network is allocated to each 07 prefix — EE, O2, Vodafone, Three and the MVNOs. Plus why ported numbers can be on a different network.
Identify · Updated 15 May 2026
- 0300 numbers UK — is 0300 free, who uses them?
0300 numbers UK explained — what they cost, why the NHS / councils / charities use them, and how to identify who called from a 0300 number.
Number types · Updated 15 May 2026
- 0303 numbers UK — what they cost and who uses them
0303 numbers UK explained — cost, who they are allocated to (public sector and charities), and how to identify who called from a 0303 number.
Number types · Updated 15 May 2026
- 0500 numbers UK — what happened to 0500 freephone?
0500 numbers UK explained — the legacy freephone range Ofcom withdrew in 2017, why some still appear in caller ID, and what to do if you see one.
Number types · Updated 15 May 2026
- 056 numbers UK — VoIP, cost, who is calling
056 numbers UK explained — the location-independent VoIP range, what they cost to call, who uses them, and how to identify a 056 caller.
Number types · Updated 15 May 2026
- 09 premium rate numbers UK — cost & rules
09 premium rate numbers UK explained — what they cost (up to £3.60/min plus access charge), the PSA Code of Practice, and how to identify a 09 caller.
Number types · Updated 15 May 2026
- Who called me? UK reverse phone lookup guide
Identify any unknown UK caller in seconds. Free Ofcom range-holder lookup plus a live AI internet check — no signup, no premium tier. Works for 01, 02, 03, 07 and 08 numbers.
Lookup · Updated 14 May 2026
- UK phone number lookup — the complete 2026 guide
How UK phone number lookup actually works in 2026 — public data sources, free tools, what Range Holder really tells you, and how to identify any UK number.
Lookup · Updated 14 May 2026
- Free UK reverse phone lookup — no signup
Free UK reverse phone lookup using official Ofcom data and a live AI internet check. No signup, no card, no premium tier — paste any UK number and get the answer.
Lookup · Updated 14 May 2026
- Free UK Phone Number Checker — Check Any UK Number
Free UK phone number checker. Paste any landline, mobile, freephone or service number to check it's valid, see the Ofcom range holder, and get a live AI scam-risk summary. No signup.
Lookup · Updated 14 May 2026
- Whose number is this? Identify any UK number
Whose number is this? Identify the UK communications provider, line type, and public reputation of any UK phone number using free Ofcom data and a live AI check.
Lookup · Updated 14 May 2026
- Check this phone number — UK lookup in 30s
Need to check this phone number now? Paste it into our free UK phone number checker and see the Ofcom range holder, line type and live AI internet check in seconds.
Lookup · Updated 14 May 2026
- How to find out who called me — UK 2026 guide
How to find out who called you in the UK using free public data — Ofcom range holder, live AI internet check, community boards, safe callback routine.
Lookup · Updated 14 May 2026
- Identify a UK caller — network, provider, type
Identify the network, provider and line type of any UK caller using the official Ofcom range data plus a live AI internet check. Free, no signup, in seconds.
Lookup · Updated 14 May 2026
- British phone number search — landline or mobile
British phone number search using free official Ofcom data and a live AI internet check. Find the provider, area, line type and reputation of any UK number.
Lookup · Updated 14 May 2026
- Common UK scam-call patterns (2026)
The eight most common UK call-scams in 2026, with red flags, real examples, and the right response for each. Includes Action Fraud and 159 reporting routes.
Safety · Updated 14 May 2026
- Is this number a scam? UK fraud-call check
Is this UK number a scam? Use four free signals — Ofcom range data, AI internet check, spoofed-CLI red flags, conversation tells — to decide in 60 seconds.
Safety · Updated 14 May 2026
- How to block UK spam calls (2026 guide)
Network blocklists, iOS / Android settings, third-party apps and the TPS register — what actually works to stop UK spam calls in 2026.
Safety · Updated 14 May 2026
- How to report a scam call in the UK (2026)
Action Fraud, 7726, your bank, the regulator — who to tell, in what order, and what they actually do with the report.
Safety · Updated 14 May 2026
- UK phone number format — E.164, regex, rules
The complete UK phone number format reference: E.164 spec, the libphonenumber regex, valid prefixes, length rules, and a working JavaScript validator.
Reference · Updated 14 May 2026
- Validate a UK mobile number (2026 guide)
How to validate a UK mobile number in 2026: format check, prefix check, libphonenumber-js code, plus carrier-aware paid APIs for bulk B2B work.
Reference · Updated 14 May 2026
- UK phone number validation API — 2026 guide
Compare the major UK phone number validation APIs (Twilio, Numverify, Vonage, MessageBird) on accuracy, cost, carrier data and Ofcom-equivalent coverage.
Reference · Updated 14 May 2026
- UK number cleansing for CRM — 2026 playbook
How to cleanse a UK phone-number list in your CRM — E.164 normalisation, libphonenumber validation, dedup, TPS suppression, carrier-aware checks.
Reference · Updated 14 May 2026
- How Ofcom allocates UK phone numbers
Inside the National Telephone Numbering Plan: blocks, sub-allocations, porting, status flags, and the weekly numbering data feed that powers UK reverse lookups.
How it works · Updated 14 May 2026
- Range Holder vs current provider explained
Why the network on caller ID often differs from the Ofcom-listed Range Holder, and how to use both signals together when you're trying to identify a UK caller.
How it works · Updated 14 May 2026
- AI internet check vs database lookup compared
Why combining structured Ofcom data with an LLM-powered web search is more accurate than either signal alone for UK reverse phone lookup.
How it works · Updated 14 May 2026
- How 0800 freephone numbers work in the UK
Who pays for an 0800 call, how routing works, the difference vs 0808, and why scammers use freephone numbers too. UK 2026 explainer.
Number types · Updated 14 May 2026
- 0808 numbers UK — cost, callers, who uses them
What does 0808 cost to call in the UK? Free from every line. Here is how 0808 freephone works, who allocates them, and how to identify an 0808 caller in seconds.
Number types · Updated 14 May 2026
- 0345 numbers UK — is 0345 free to call?
Is 0345 free to call in the UK? Yes if you have inclusive mobile minutes. Here is the full 0345 explainer: cost, who uses 0345, and how to identify an 0345 caller.
Number types · Updated 14 May 2026
- 0345 vs 0800: which is cheaper from a UK mobile?
0345 vs 0800 explained — what each costs from mobiles and landlines in 2026, why businesses pick one over the other, and what it means for you.
Number types · Updated 14 May 2026
- 0333 numbers UK — cost, callers, is it premium?
0333 numbers explained — costs, common uses, why so many UK businesses pick them, and how to recognise legitimate vs scam 0333 calls.
Number types · Updated 14 May 2026
- What 0843, 0844 and 0871 cost — and why they exist
Service charges, access charges and how to spot expensive 'business-rate' numbers in the UK. Includes 2026 price ceilings and free-alternative finders.
Number types · Updated 14 May 2026
- Is 070 a mobile number? UK 070 numbers explained (and the scam)
070 numbers look like UK mobiles but they're not. Calls cost up to 50p/min and scammers use them for ring-back fraud. Here's how to spot, block and report one.
Safety · Updated 14 May 2026
- UK area codes — every 01/02 dialling code
What does each UK area code mean? Full guide to 01 and 02 dialling codes by region, with town look-ups, length rules and why some codes are 4 digits not 3.
Reference · Updated 14 May 2026
- 020 London — 0203, 0207, 0208, 0204 explained
What is a 0203 number? Are 0207 and 0208 different parts of London? The full guide to 020 London sub-prefixes, who they were allocated to, and what called you.
Reference · Updated 14 May 2026
- 0330 numbers UK — cost, callers, what to know
0330 numbers explained — what does 0330 cost, are 0330 calls free with a mobile bundle, and how to identify who called you from a 0330 number in seconds.
Number types · Updated 14 May 2026