I’ve been receiving scam calls for some time now. These are typically automated and hang up after a brief ring. I suspect the scam involves premium rate numbers making money when people call them back.
You may know the type—calls with messages about claiming your motor insurance or something similar.
This seems to be a widespread issue, with many EE customers frustrated that they can’t block all 0843 and 0845 numbers. You’d think regulators would step in, but the TPS (Telephone Preference Service) lists are ineffective as these calls are ignored. Tracking down the companies responsible is nearly impossible, as they’re likely offshore. Legally, there’s little uproar since it’s not scamming people out of thousands, but it’s still costing millions in small amounts and wasting everyone’s time. It’s questionable whether it’s even illegal, despite being morally and ethically wrong on many levels.
After doing some research, I found the official advice is to:
- Set Unknown Callers to Silent on iPhone: This doesn’t stop the calls from coming through, and you’ll still see them on your phone and hear the vibration.
- Android Phones’ Scam Caller Blocking: Some Android phones offer scam caller blocking features, possibly using a database. However, the issue is that the numbers come from a vast range, changing each time.
- Blocking Individual Numbers on iPhone: You can block each number as it comes in, but this isn’t effective long-term since similar numbers will continue to call. I’ve blocked hundreds already.
- Change Your Phone Number: Changing your number is a hassle. I’ve had mine since my first mobile phone (a brick!) in the 90s, and I’m not eager to change it.
- TPS Register: Being on the TPS register doesn’t stop these calls. Only reputable companies check the register before calling. I know this because I’ve worked with companies that use TPS data to engage cold enquiries and book appointments.
After more searching, I discovered that you can use an app to help block these calls. Your iPhone can use this app to decide whether to allow the call or not.
Here’s the official Apple support article: https://support.apple.com/en-gb/111106.
I installed a simple, free app called ‘Simple Call Blocker.’ With this app, you can set a range of numbers to block. I have no affiliation with this app, but I wanted to try one that was free and see how it worked.
Initially, I tried to block a vast range of numbers, but this involved millions of numbers and it failed. So, I narrowed it down based on the numbers I’d previously received and will update you on my progress as I go.
Here’s a list of common numbers I’ve received:
0843 548 5XXX
0843 567 5XXX
0843 830 5XXX
0843 830 7XXX
0843 866 3XXX
0843 866 7XXX
0843 866 9XXX
0843 868 1XXX
0843 868 3XXX
0843 868 4XXX
0843 872 1XXX
0843 872 2XXX
0843 872 3XXX
0843 872 5XXX
0843 874 2XXX
0843 874 3XXX
0843 877 9XXX
0843 878 5XXX
0845 134 6XXX
0845 134 7XXX
0845 134 8XXX
As you can see, the pattern is 0843 or 0845 followed by the middle number, and then blocking out the last four digits in a range from 1000 to 9999. This should stop many of these calls. It’s astonishing that it’s even possible to buy and use so many numbers for automated spam like this, but that’s sometimes the issue with legacy systems.
What does the future hold? The past few years have shown how powerful AI can be. It won’t be long before you think you’re talking to a person, but it’s actually an AI-generated voice trained to interact with you, potentially to extract your credit card details or scam you in other ways. Some people only see the profit potential in AI, and making money might mean exploiting the vulnerable through sophisticated AI-driven phone scams. It’s concerning, but I haven’t seen any concrete evidence of this happening yet.
Email has similar issues with spam, but it’s less annoying and can be filtered by smarter email providers. GDPR and the ICO are also largely ineffective due to the sheer scale of email-related issues.
Let me know if the tips above help, or if you need additional assistance. If you have other systems or ideas, I’d love to hear them!
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