Ofcom has launched a proposal to strengthen its guidance on how telecoms companies should protect people in the UK from international calls that imitate UK mobile numbers.
One way that criminal gangs prey on victims is by imitating - or spoofing - phone numbers and callers that potential victims might trust, such as UK mobile numbers, so their calls are more likely to be answered. Fraudsters based abroad often spoof UK numbers, knowing people are more likely to pick up these calls than if an unknown international number is displayed.
Ofcom research reveals that, in February 2025, two in five phone users (42 per cent) said that they received a suspicious call in the last three months. The regulator also found that people are more trusting of calls coming from UK mobile numbers (+447) than they are of calls from withheld or international numbers.
One quarter (26 per cent) also said that they were likely or very likely to pick up a call from an unrecognised UK mobile number, compared to just one in 10 (9 per cent) who would answer a call showing an international number with an unrecognised country code.
Last year, Ofcom strengthened its industry guidance in this area, telling phone companies to identify and block calls from abroad that falsely display a UK landline number as the caller ID, except in a limited number of legitimate use cases.
Currently, there is an exemption from blocking calls from abroad that display a UK mobile caller ID. This is to allow people who are roaming abroad to display their number to family and friends when they call them.
Today, Ofcom is proposing telecoms companies should withhold the caller ID of calls that appear to come from a UK mobile roaming abroad unless they can verify its validity. This follows engagement with industry on how providers could best protect people from calls spoofing UK mobile numbers without hindering customers calling home from abroad.
Marina Gibbs, Ofcom’s policy director for networks and communications, said: “Customers endure a barrage of scam calls, and when people get caught out, the consequences can be devastating. It can happen to anyone, with criminal gangs in other countries trying to exploit people when their guard is down.
“The work we’ve collectively already done has led to a million calls a day being blocked, but there’s no silver bullet, and we’re always looking for new ways to shore up our defences in the fight against fraud. These new measures would provide further protection for people in the UK.”
Ofcom is inviting responses to today’s consultation by 5pm 13 October 2025. It plans to publish our decision in early 2026.
