Beware of calls with numbers starting 070 that are charged at higher rates.
Numbers starting 070 are Non-Geographic numbers (not mobile) and sometimes known as Personal Numbers and are charged at higher rates.
The known scams include prospective customers (of your business) asking to be called back on 070 numbers – sometimes via email as they are interested in taking your products and services. Known target customer types include, but are not restricted to: Hotels, Car Dealerships and Garages, Vehicle Hire, Telecommunication Suppliers and Letting and Estate Agents. During the calls, the suspected scammer will either keep the call going for as long as possible or may ask for colleagues to be ‘conferenced’ into the call. When the conference method is used and the victim hangs up the call, their telephone system effectively leaves the called parties connected who then leave their line open. This can result in very long calls and charges.
We understand the regulator for 070 numbers has been making attempts to close down the numbers used in recent suspected scams, but the threat remains that new numbers could start to be used.
Although 070 numbers do have legitimate usage, we encourage you to communicate this to your staff and prevent yourself or your customers from becoming a victim.
Our advice is:
1. Be aware of the cost to call different numbers. 070 numbers are Personal Numbers and NOT a mobile number.
2. If you have setup a conference call by bringing people in to the conference, ensure all parties have disconnected before hanging up yourself.
3. If you are a victim of a suspected scam, please report this to Action Fraud, here
The Support Team at Direct Voice and Data are here to help if you suspect you have become a victim of one of these scams – call today on 0800 84 999 84
