Whose number is this?

Before you ring it back

1. 1

   Check the number here

   See what kind of number it is, who its range was given to, and what anyone else said about calls from it.

2. 2

   Look for a message

   A voicemail or a text tells you more than the number. If there is none, waiting has cost you nothing.

3. 3

   Think about the cost

   A missed call from an 070, 084, 087 or 09 number can cost you money to return. The phone number checker explains each type.

4. 4

   Decide how to call back

   If you ring, you can dial 141 first so your own number is withheld.

What the answer means

Every number page gives one of four answers about who holds the line. We never guess between them.

• A named business. The business proved to us that it controls the number. Caller ID can still be faked, so if the call asked for money or security details, ring the business back on a number you already trust.
• A registered business, name withheld. A business has registered the number but not finished proving it. Not proven does not mean bad.
• A personal number. It is registered with us to a person, not a business. We never show a person’s name.
• Nobody has claimed it. This is not a warning on its own. It means we cannot confirm who holds the line.

Alongside that answer you see what other people reported, counted once per person, and the facts about the number itself. If you want to go further and work out who a number belongs to, the reverse phone lookup page explains what can and cannot be found, and why no honest service will name a stranger.

If it looks like a local number

A landline’s area code tells you where the number was first given out, not where the caller is sitting. Internet phone lines can use a local-looking number from anywhere, and caller ID can be faked, so a number that looks local proves nothing on its own. The UK area code list shows where every code belongs and what each non-geographic range is for.

If there is no number at all

A call marked withheld, private or no caller ID cannot be looked up. On a BT landline, 1471 tells you the last number that called, free, unless the caller withheld it. Then you hear only that it was withheld. Other providers run similar services.

If it keeps calling

• Block it on your phone. Most smartphones and many landline phones can block a number. Your provider may offer more blocking, sometimes for a fee.
• Register with the Telephone Preference Service. It is free, online or on 0345 070 0707. Companies must check it before making sales calls. Ofcom says calls can take up to 28 days to reduce.
• Report sales calls you still get to the ICO, and silent or abandoned calls to Ofcom.

None of these stops everything. TPS stops lawful sales calls, not scams, and a blocked caller can switch numbers. How to stop spam calls sets out what each one can and cannot do. If the calls ring once or are silent, read silent and one-ring calls.

If it was a scam

Hang up on anyone who pressures you, and contact the organisation they named on a number you already trust. Text the scammer’s number to 7726, free. If you lost money, tell your bank now and report it to Report Fraud on 0300 123 2040, or Police Scotland on 101. Then report the number here so the next person who looks it up is warned.

Need the whole routine after a missed call, including 159 for bank calls? See who called me.