Phone companies will be forced to block ‘spoof’ numbers used by scammers to pose as trusted brands, under new Ofcom rules.
Almost 41 million Britons received a suspicious call or text in the past three months. The new rules, expected to protect millions of people, will come into force in May 2023.
It marks the latest in a string of new measures to make it harder for criminal gangs to make contact with victims.
Scamdemic: Almost 41 million Britons received a suspicious call or text in the past three months
Scammers are increasingly posing as legitimate organisations, such as banks or government departments, by ‘spoofing’ phone numbers.
This technique allows them to hide or change their caller ID to disguise their identity. If a phone number appears trustworthy, victims are more likely to answer and follow the scammer’s instructions.
Ofcom estimates around 700,000 people had done so in the three months to August alone.
Phone providers will also be required to make sure that numbers meet the UK’s ten or 11-digit format and identify and block calls from abroad spoofing a UK caller ID.
They will also have to block numbers that are on Ofcom’s ‘do not originate’ list, which includes those that banks and government departments never use for outbound calls.
Some companies have already voluntarily implemented these measures, including TalkTalk, which said it had seen a 65 per cent reduction in complaints about scam calls since taking action.
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