A. Pickett
Managing Director, OmegaIT · OmegaIT
A. Pickett is the Managing Director of OmegaIT, the UK technology consultancy that builds and operates WhoCalledLookup. His work focuses on the boundary between UK telecoms data and consumer-facing tools: parsing Ofcom's weekly National Telephone Numbering Plan releases, reconciling range-holder and porting records against live caller behaviour, and turning that material into plain-language answers for ordinary callers trying to identify an unknown number. Before founding OmegaIT, he spent over a decade shipping production systems at the intersection of identity, fraud prevention and applied machine learning. WhoCalledLookup is a direct expression of that mix — Ofcom's authoritative range-holder data on one side, a live AI internet check on the other, and an editorial commitment to keeping both honest about what they can and cannot tell you about a caller.
Areas of expertise
- UK telecoms numbering
- Ofcom data
- Caller-ID and call-trace analysis
- AI-powered consumer tools
- Fraud prevention
Articles by A. Pickett
- Number types
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.
15 May 2026
- Number types
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.
15 May 2026
- Number types
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.
15 May 2026
- Number types
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.
15 May 2026
- Number types
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.
15 May 2026
- Identify
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.
15 May 2026
- Reference
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.
15 May 2026
- How it works
UK phone number portability — keep your number
UK phone number portability explained — how porting works, why the Range Holder doesn't change, the PAC / STAC codes, and what porting means for caller identification.
15 May 2026
- How it works
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.
15 May 2026
- Safety
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.
15 May 2026
- Safety
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.
15 May 2026
- Safety
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.
15 May 2026
- Safety
Withheld number UK — block, trace and 1471 / 1572
Withheld or No Caller ID calls in the UK — how to read the last withheld number with 1471, enable Anonymous Call Rejection with 1572, and request a malicious-call trace.
15 May 2026
- Safety
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.
15 May 2026
- Safety
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.
15 May 2026
- Reference
UK number cleansing for CRM — 2026 playbook
How to cleanse a UK phone number list in your CRM: format normalisation, libphonenumber, carrier-aware deduplication, TPS suppression, and Ofcom-aware quality scoring.
11 May 2026
- Reference
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.
10 May 2026
- Reference
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.
9 May 2026
- Reference
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.
8 May 2026
- Safety
Is this number a scam? UK fraud-call detection in 2026
Is this UK number a scam? Use this checklist of free signals — Ofcom range data, live AI internet check, spoofed CLI red flags and reporting routes — to decide in 60 seconds.
6 May 2026
- Lookup
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.
4 May 2026
- Lookup
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.
2 May 2026
- Lookup
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 lookup, live AI internet check, community boards and the right way to call back safely.
30 Apr 2026
- Lookup
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.
28 Apr 2026
- Lookup
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.
26 Apr 2026
- Lookup
UK phone number checker — validate any UK number
A free UK phone number checker that does three jobs: validates the format, identifies the line type, and verifies the number against Ofcom + a live AI internet check. No signup.
24 Apr 2026
- Lookup
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.
22 Apr 2026
- Number types
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.
21 Apr 2026
- Lookup
UK phone number lookup — the complete 2026 guide
How UK phone number lookup actually works in 2026: what data sources are public, which tools are free, what 'Range Holder' really tells you, and how to identify any UK landline, mobile or non-geographic number in seconds.
20 Apr 2026
- Reference
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.
19 Apr 2026
- Reference
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.
18 Apr 2026
- Number types
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.
17 Apr 2026
- Number types
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.
15 Apr 2026
- Safety
070 personal-numbering scams — 070 is not mobile
An 070 UK number looks like a mobile but isn't — it's a personal-numbering forwarding service. Here's why scammers love it, and how to identify one safely.
12 Apr 2026
- Number types
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.
12 Apr 2026
- Number types
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.
12 Apr 2026
- Number types
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.
12 Apr 2026
- Number types
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.
12 Apr 2026
- How it works
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.
12 Apr 2026
- How it works
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.
12 Apr 2026
- How it works
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.
12 Apr 2026
- Safety
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.
12 Apr 2026
- Safety
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.
12 Apr 2026
- Safety
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.
12 Apr 2026
- Lookup
Who called me? UK reverse phone lookup guide
How to identify an unknown UK caller in seconds using free public data — Ofcom range data, community scam reports, and a live AI internet check.
12 Apr 2026