Is this number a scam? UK fraud-call detection in 2026

Is this number a scam? is the most-asked question on this site. The honest answer in 60 seconds requires four free signals — Ofcom range data, the live AI internet check, a spoofed-CLI sanity check, and the conversation itself. This is the checklist we use, and that you can run yourself.

#Step 1 — Look the number up here

Paste the number into the form at the top of the page. We return the Ofcom Range Holder, the line type, the area, and a live AI internet check (with cited URLs) about that exact number. The AI score on its own isn't a verdict, but the cited sources are usually decisive — if you see three Reddit threads complaining about the same number, that's actionable.

#Step 2 — Status check

On the result page, look at the status field. The only safe value is Allocated.

#Step 3 — Line-type vs claim check

Compare the line type the lookup returned with the identity the caller is claiming. Mismatches:

• Caller claims to be your bank but the line is a 070 → scam (banks never call from personal-numbering).
• Caller claims to be HMRC but the line is a 0843 → scam (HMRC uses 0300 numbers, never service-charge).
• Caller claims to be a courier but the line is a freephone 0800 → suspicious (couriers ring from regional 01x or local mobile).
• Caller claims to be Microsoft but the line is a UK mobile → scam (Microsoft does not cold-call UK consumers).

#Step 4 — The conversation itself

If you've already engaged, the script tells you everything. Universal red flags — if any appear, hang up:

1. Urgency — 'You must act now or your account closes in 30 minutes.'
2. Authority + secrecy — 'This call is confidential. Do not discuss with anyone.'
3. One-time codes — codes are for *you* to type into *your* app. Never read aloud.
4. Move money to a 'safe account' — no UK bank ever asks this.
5. Install AnyDesk / TeamViewer / 'support tool' — every tech-support scam ends here.
6. Buy gift cards / vouchers — HMRC, your bank and the police don't accept Steam codes.
7. Police / arrest threat over the phone — UK police don't cold-call about warrants.
8. Refund requires sort code — refunds go back to the original payment method, never via 'verify your bank'.

#What to do if it is a scam

1. Hang up. Don't engage further, even to argue.
2. If you gave any details, dial 159 to reach your bank's fraud team.
3. Forward suspicious texts to **7726** (free).
4. Report to Action Fraud.
5. Look the number up on this site so other visitors see your AI internet check.
6. Block the number on your handset and turn on your network's free anti-spam filter.

#Spoofed CLI — what it is and how to spot it

Spoofing is when the originating system sets the displayed CLI to whatever it wants — often a real UK landline, a 0800 number, or even your own phone number. Three tells:

• Status mismatch — the displayed number is Recovered / Free / Reserved / Protected.
• Geographic mismatch — caller claims to be your London bank but the CLI is a Glasgow 0141.
• Network mismatch — caller claims to be Vodafone calling about your account, but the CLI is allocated to BT.

#Bottom line

'Is this number a scam?' is answerable in under a minute with three free signals: the lookup form on this site, a sanity-check against the line type vs the caller's claim, and the universal red-flag checklist. When the signals agree, trust them. When they don't, hang up and call back via a number you know to be real.