Active discussions

Meet the Other Phone. Child-safe in minutes.

Meet the Other Phone.
Child-safe in minutes.

Buy now

Please or to access all these features

Talk
Chat

Join the discussion and chat with other Mumsnetters about everyday life, relationships and parenting.

Original poster

Weird number ringing me

36 replies

GinWithLime · 05/03/2021 18:16

I've had 2 weird calls today and both numbers are identical to mine aside from the last 3 digits. I answered the first call and they accused me of calling them just minutes earlier which is impossible as my phone was in another room!

They text a screenshot with my number showing I called them for 40 seconds but my recent calls don't show this?!

I've just had another call which I didn't answer. The WhatsApp picture looks like a legitimate couple but who knows.

Has this happened to anyone recently?

OP posts:
toolatetofixate · 05/03/2021 18:17

Sounds spooky!!

TreacsPotNoodle · 05/03/2021 18:18

Weird!! Maybe a scam?!

Howmanysyllabasisthat · 05/03/2021 18:19

Scam

TitusPullo · 05/03/2021 18:20

Yes! This happened to me, two different numbers about a week apart, same as my number but last three digits different. I didn’t answer either. Same thing then happened to a relative. I am assuming some sort of number spoofing/scam.

Original poster
GinWithLime · 05/03/2021 18:21

But what are they achieving? I have to know Grin

I've blocked them both, let's see if I have anymore...

OP posts:
ijokeijoke · 05/03/2021 18:23

Omg I had 2 missed calls today and then read this, so I just checked and one of the numbers is the same as mine except last 3 digits!

78percentLindt · 05/03/2021 18:30

Yes, I had a call from someone with a similar number to mine, who insisted I had rung her as she had a missed call and she had dialled us from the 1471.
I hadn't, but she was very disbelieving as she had advertised something for sale and thought I had changed my mind!

TitusPullo · 05/03/2021 18:34

So I’ve thought it through. It’s a scammer ringing using a masked number. The people ringing saying they have missed calls is because they received a scam call that appeared to be from your number so they’ve called it back. If they’d answered the original call it would have been the scammer pretending to be from Microsoft or wherever using software to mask the phone number. The reason it’s the same first lot of digits is it’s set up for landlines so it’s to make it look like your area code to make the call look local, but they are using it for mobiles so just looks odd.

LApprentiSorcier · 05/03/2021 18:34

It is a scam - they think you're more likely to answer if the number looks familiar - which it would if it resembled yours, bar three digits.

You've missed out on the important news that your broadband is about to be disconnected, or possibly HMRC are sending the police round to arrest you, or even that your bank account is under attack and you need to transfer all your money to the scammer's account for safekeeping ... or perhaps you've just been injured in a recent accident and need to make a claim!

Original poster
GinWithLime · 05/03/2021 19:00

So is the person calling me the scammer or someone ringing me thinking in the scammer?!

OP posts:
78percentLindt · 05/03/2021 19:03

I think it is someone who missed a call from a scammer who spoofed your number.
ie they genuinely think you called them but you didn't. You are both innocent parties.

LApprentiSorcier · 05/03/2021 19:11

It will almost certainly be the scammers, because they're the ones using number-spoofing technology to try to make the number look familiar. There's a small chance you may be being called back by someone whose similar mobile was called on a spoofed number that happened to be yours, but most likely it's the scammer - the repeated calls in a short space of time are what they do, they'll have a computer programmed to keep dialling with small changes to the number.

The best thing to do with unrecognised numbers is not to answer. If the caller is genuine they will leave a voicemail or follow up with a text message.

If there's a message from 'your bank' or 'HMRC' or similar make sure you return the call on the usual number you would use (or check on a genuine document), not any number that's included in a message. If it was a genuine call, your bank/HMRC will be able to see on their switchboard computer who to transfer you to.

Similarly, if you answer your phone to one of those entities, tell them you will call back - and use a different phone, or make sure the line is clear by dialling and speaking to a trusted contact in between the calls - because sometimes they will keep the line open so you think you have called back, but actually they have never left the line.

TitusPullo · 05/03/2021 19:11

Oh course it could also be a scammer spoofing another innocent person’s number.

scrivette · 05/03/2021 19:14

I had three missed calls yesterday and I have just gone back and looked and they are very similar to mine too. I didn't answer any of them (and didn't notice they were similar to my number at the time).

Em3978 · 05/03/2021 19:19

I had one from my actual number! Exactly the same.

Didnt answer it.

78percentLindt · 05/03/2021 19:30

Ah, I had a call from my number this morning too. A chap we know had sent a text to our landline, so the messaging service rang us to read it to me. It some times happens because people get confused as if you leave out the initial 1 our area code looks like a mobile IYSWIM.

sunflowersandbuttercups · 05/03/2021 19:36

It's a scam.

They pick a number similar to yours so it looks familiar and you answer, thinking it might be someone you know.

Software can spoof any number they want.

FlyingBurrito · 05/03/2021 19:37

Intriguing, I can't work out what the scam would acheive.

Ime if you call back a spoofed number you always get a message saying no such number. How would they gain by using genuine numbers, I can work it out.

LApprentiSorcier · 05/03/2021 19:41

Intriguing, I can't work out what the scam would achieve.

Their initial goal is simply to get you to pick up the phone - once you have done that they can start trying to hook you into any one of dozens of scams.

TheCanyon · 05/03/2021 19:46

Absolutely a scam. I had this a couple of months ago. My number ends 726 the calls were coming from 726. Dh had been getting calls all yesterday, I had a look at the number and it was 998 instead of his 997, he hadn't even noticed Grin

sunflowersandbuttercups · 05/03/2021 20:28

@FlyingBurrito

Intriguing, I can't work out what the scam would acheive.

Ime if you call back a spoofed number you always get a message saying no such number. How would they gain by using genuine numbers, I can work it out.

Either you'll ring them back and be connected to a premium number which charges you a small fortune just for connecting.

Or, you'll answer and they'll know the number is active, so they'll keep trying you from various numbers in the hope that you'll fall for one of their various scams.

There's loads of them out there. They change number every time as well so blocking them is pretty much pointless. You'll often get missed calls from lots of similar numbers, or "UK landlines" that are actually based in Korea or somewhere.

FlyingBurrito · 05/03/2021 20:37

Either you'll ring them back and be connected to a premium number which charges you a small fortune just for connecting

But that doesn't fit with what happened to the OP, someone rang her and said she'd rung them. How is that a scam, if you spoof a genuine number it can't be premium rate call if someone rings it back. If you want to do that surely the scammer needs to call from a number that doesnt belong to a genuine person.

Begonias · 05/03/2021 20:58

We've had so many calls on the landline. At first it was international numbers but now it's mobile numbers. When I did a Google search it was number from India. I've now got my landline phone on silent if family need to get in touch they have our mobile numbers. Although this week I've been getting calls from various London numbers on my mobile, I've blocked any 020* prefix numbers. It's getting beyond ridiculous and edging on harassment. I wish there was a way we could put an end to these scams.

sunflowersandbuttercups · 05/03/2021 22:17

But that doesn't fit with what happened to the OP, someone rang her and said she'd rung them. How is that a scam, if you spoof a genuine number it can't be premium rate call if someone rings it back. If you want to do that surely the scammer needs to call from a number that doesnt belong to a genuine person.

Because they didn't want the other person to call the number back.

They wanted them to answer (because the number looked familiar or local) so they could start the scamming process.

Also, once they learn a number is active (by you picking up the phone) they know to target you again.

It just happens that this time it was OP's number that was spoofed.

HurryUpSunshine · 05/03/2021 23:22

Just block them 🤷🏻‍♀️.

Please create an account

To comment on this thread you need to create a Mumsnet account.

Join Mumsnet Log In

This thread is closed and is no longer accepting replies. Click here to start a new thread.