'unknown' on my phone

[Windandsand]

I have just bought a new phone and I have only rang about 3 people and added them as contacts. I haven't given my number out to anyone. I got a call which I missed that came up as unknown. Why do numbers come up as unknown and does this mean my number has been given to commercial companies? It was called at just gone 8.00am.

Also, my phone beeped last night- I think it was my phone - but when I got to it there was no message. Why would it do that ? There was no one else around , unless they were hiding outside my window!!! Thanks for any answers ..

All unknown means is that the number could be withheld ie a company or private individual or even a call from abroad. Possibly a wrong number. The beep could be an update or battery emptying or filling. You sound paranoid rather than concerned, though.

Thanks and yes I am a bit paranoid:)

I have a bunch of mobiles (some on Virgin, Orange, and Asda, plus a couple on Three). From time to time I get unsolicited text messages, about PPI or "been in an accident" etc. I can soemtimes get the same message appear within minutes on a second phone (nearby numbers) so it is likely that there's someone using software / website / whatever to send similar texts to dozens of numbers. In bulk, text messages cost 0.5p (or less, even if some networks charge 12p per text on PAYG), and if 1% of those who get the text respond and a firm makes 200 pounds out of that 'scam' (or service, or whatever), then you can see that the cash from a few has paid for tens / hundreds of thousands of texts, and then they start making profit quite quickly.

On my landline yesterday I had "unknown" a couple of tmes. It was someone in Eire calling one of my 0800 numbers (they rang it twice, and both times I was far enough away from a phone not to be able to answer in time.)

How do I know what their number was (when 1471 just says "we do not have the caller's number") ? I know, because the service I use sends me an e-mail if I don't answer a call. As they are a network provider, they do get the number even if someone does 141 to "withhold" it. (It gets "withheld" at your mobile network or local phone exchange in those cases.).

BT often "hides" the number if they cannot be sure it is valid, and some calls will only show "International" on caller display, if BT wants to show it is not from the UK. Others will be "Unavailable" or similar, and some of these can be from the UK from certain types of Business lines.

I think this +353 (Eire) number is valid (but as I am not advertising in Eire, I am glad I was too slow to pick up the phone, as it would have been me paying for it - another reason I am glad I can find out the number of the caller). I didn't bother to ring them back.

If it is an important call, they will ring me again, so I generally don't bother calling a number I don't know already!

Anyway, don't be scared - it could easily be a wrong number (why are they never "engaged" ? ) or one of these random "PPI" scam calls, and you missed nothing by not answering it.

Thanks! No more calls do perhaps it was a wrong number. Am rales ring easy now...