A phone rings once and stops. The missed call shows an unfamiliar number, and calling back connects to a premium-rate service that charges by the minute. These are known as missed-call or Wangiri scams. This article summarises Ofcom’s consumer guidance on scam calls (published on 15 July 2026, with the “what to do” page last updated on 24 August 2026), its call costs guide (last updated on 31 January 2025) and its page on premium rate services. Ofcom regulates communications across the UK. Ofcom’s cost figures are described by the regulator as indicative, and the actual cost depends on the provider and the calling plan.
How a missed-call scam works
Ofcom says these scams use automated systems to dial large numbers of phones. The call lasts under a second and shows on the phone as a missed call. If the person calls back, they are connected to a premium-rate service and charged for as long as they stay on the line. The numbers often begin 070, 076, 084, 087, 090, 091 or 118, or may be unfamiliar international numbers. Ofcom notes that calls to these numbers can be very expensive.
What Ofcom advises
- If a missed call comes from a number that is not recognised, do not call it back.
- Search the number online, since many scam numbers are reported by other people who have received calls from them.
- If a callback has already been made and a charge is suspected, contact the mobile provider.
- Forward the number to 7726 if the call is believed to be a scam. Ofcom says the service is free and alerts the mobile provider so it can investigate and potentially block the number. To do this, open recent calls, select the number, then copy or share it in a text to 7726.
Ofcom says some phones, apps and providers warn users when a call looks like spam, and mentions Apple’s Screen Unknown Callers, Samsung’s Smart Call and apps such as Hiya and Truecaller. It cautions that these warnings can help but are not always right, and that if unsure about a call, it is best to hang up or ideally not answer.
What different numbers can cost
Ofcom’s call costs guide explains the price bands behind the prefixes it names. It says the prices are indicative only and that actual costs depend on the phone company, calling plan, time of day and the exact number called. As published:
- 070 personal numbers differ from mobile numbers and can be more expensive, at around 50p per minute from a landline or 86p per minute from a mobile for providers that do not include them in allowances;
- 084 numbers: the cost has two parts, an access charge to the phone company and a service charge set by the organisation called. The service charge is between 0p and 7p per minute, and the access charge can range from 8p to 67p per minute;
- 087 numbers: the same two-part structure, with a service charge between 0p and 13p per minute and an access charge from 8p to 67p per minute;
- 09 numbers: these premium-rate numbers are mainly used for competitions, TV voting, horoscopes, chat lines, adult lines, recorded information and professional advice. The service charge can range from 1p to £3.60 per minute, there may be a one-off cost of 5p to £6, and the access charge can range from 8p to 67p per minute. Ofcom says 09 numbers can be barred from being dialled from a phone.
Ofcom also states that the service charge for 084, 087 and 09 numbers must be clearly displayed wherever the number is advertised or promoted.
If a charge has appeared on the bill
Ofcom’s page on premium rate services says these are content, goods or services charged to a phone bill, including music subscriptions, games, charity donations and TV voting. For an unexpected charge, it says to contact the service provider first, and it offers a service checker to find out who to contact about a charge. Ofcom’s advice for a call that has already cost money is to contact the mobile provider. For scam reports, Ofcom says to report to Report Fraud online or on 0300 123 2040, and in Scotland to Police Scotland on 101.
How this differs from spoofing
Ofcom lists missed-call scams separately from number spoofing, in which a call appears to come from a trusted organisation but does not. The two can look similar in a call log, but the defence differs: for spoofing, the advice is to hang up and call back on a number from the organisation’s official website, whereas for a missed call from a number that is not recognised, the advice is not to call back at all. See this site’s guide to spoofed numbers and scam calls.
The bottom line
A very short missed call from an unknown number is designed to prompt a callback that costs money. Ofcom’s advice is not to return the call, to check the number online, to forward it to 7726 and to contact the mobile provider if a charge has already been incurred. The prefixes 070, 076, 084, 087, 090, 091 and 118, and unfamiliar international numbers, are the ones it names, and Ofcom’s indicative pricing shows why a single callback to a 09 number can cost far more than an ordinary call.