UK Cracks Down on Scammers Spoofing Your Phone Number

The UK government, together with major mobile network operators and regulator Ofcom, has announced a landmark initiative to block phone-calls that use spoofed numbers — fake caller IDs designed to trick consumers into believing they’re hearing from banks, government departments or trusted organisations.

Under the new charter, leading operators including BT Group/EE, Vodafone Group, Virgin Media O2, Three UK, TalkTalk Telecom Group, Tesco Mobile and Sky UK have committed to upgrade their network systems and strengthening anti-spoofing measures. Full rollout is expected within 12 months.

The efforts build on earlier Ofcom guidance requiring phone companies to block inbound calls from abroad that falsely display UK landline numbers as the “presentation number” — the number the recipient sees.

Closing loopholes

Spoofing is a foundational tactic used by fraudsters. By making a scam call appear to come from a UK number — and often one associated with a bank, credit-card issuer or government agency — criminals boost the likelihood the recipient will answer and trust the call.

By closing key loopholes (calls from abroad presenting UK numbers) and requiring network-level blocking plus improved traceability, the initiative aims to significantly reduce the success rate of such scams.

Operators will deploy network-level filters to detect and block calls from abroad that present a UK number but come from outside the country.

A call-tracing mechanism will be introduced to help identify the true origin of scam calls, while operators will share improved fraud-intelligence data with government and law enforcement to take down organised scam-operations.

According to the gov.uk press release, fraud has become the most-reported crime in the UK, with scam calls inflicting not just financial loss, but also emotional distress — all while undermining public trust in essential services.

“Spoofed calls allow scammers to deceive the public with fake identities and false promises,” said Minister for Fraud, Lord Hanson. “This government is committed to tackling fraud. In a major upgrade of our mobile network, call spoofing will be eliminated within a year - stripping away the tools scammers use to cheat people out of their hard-earned cash. We’re stepping up our defences to protect victims and make sure the UK is the hardest place in the world for scammers to operate.”

Further rules will cover spoofing of UK mobile numbers and roaming calls, addressing a major remaining loophole.

Recommendations

As a result of the action, Brits should start receiving fewer foreign scam calls that appear to come from the UK. However, the rollout will take up to a year, so some spoofed calls may still get through in the meantime.

Don’t rely solely on the number displayed on your screen to guarantee authenticity — fraudsters will adapt. So, stay alert!

Here are some practical steps you can take in the meantime:

·      Treat unexpected calls with caution: If you receive a call from your “bank” or “police” asking for personal details or to transfer money, hang up and call back using official contact numbers — not a number the caller gave you. Use your phone’s built-in spam/block features if a number looks suspicious.

·      Enable multi-factor authentication (MFA) for all your accounts: Use MFA for all your accounts so that, even if a scammer obtains your credentials, they cannot access your account easily.

·      Use a digital monitoring service: Bitdefender Digital Identity Protection monitors for data compromised in breaches, giving you early warning if hackers have your email, phone number, credit card information or passwords.

·      Watch out for the hallmark signs of impersonation: Urgent demands, requests for remote-access software, asking for payments via non-traceable methods (e.g., gift cards, crypto), refusal to let you verify via official channels.

·      Use a security tool on your devices: Deploy an independent security solution that can sniff out attacks on your digital life. Use Scamio, our free scam-fighting chatbot, to inquire about a potential attack on your finances, security, or privacy.

This crackdown marks a sizeable move in the fight against telecom fraud. But no network upgrade or regulation will ever eliminate the human element of risk entirely. As phone-spoofing becomes harder for criminals, they will shift tactics — perhaps to more sophisticated voice-cloning. So keep an eye on scam-alerts from trusted sources like your bank, local regulators, and the cybersecurity blogosphere.

You may also want to read:

How to Spot a Voice Cloning Scam

Five Ways Your iPhone Can Be Hacked – And How to Prevent It

Retirees’ Lifelong Savings Under Siege by Scammers, FTC Warns