In an area that’s increasingly inundated with predatory, money-focused scam artists, yet another major bit of trickery has popped up in the UK mobile market. The latest in a series of expensive scams revolves around missed calls from an 076 number, which is charged at an expensive premium rate (typically around 50p/ minute) when the call is returned.
The scammers get hold of mobile numbers by bulk buying from various (often illegitimate) sources, and in many cases have also convinced the regulator that they have a legitimate need for a premium rate number. The number sellers in turn are likely to have attained the numbers through some kind of marketing or promotion. While the sellers are unlikely to know who they are selling their database too, this is yet another reason not to give out numbers to marketing personnel unless you’re either ticking a ‘no other contact’ box (which would make calling you, or using your details illegal) or absolutely confident that they won’t pass on your information.
Of course, at this stage it is probably too late, and we’d recommend you just avoid calling back any 076 missed calls. The scammers are particularly crafty, in that they’re able to use ‘ghost calling’ techniques to leave a missed call before you’re even likely to have heard the phone ringing. Various techniques might be used in an attempt to keep you on the line and rack up a call that’s as lengthy as possible. The scam takes advantage of the ‘radiopager’ numbers, which cost far more to call than a standard mobile, and leaves the caller with a large chunk of the profit. Of course, a radiopager can’t make calls, and as all 076 numbers are allocated to radiopagers, any contact from this kind of number can only be some sort of scam.
Regulator PhonepayPlus has assured consumers that it intends to take extremely swift action against those using the scam. A similar trick was in place last year, revolving around the high-rate 070 numbers, and it’s likely that a similar group of scammers have simply found another niche they’re able to exploit in order to make their money. The operators who provided the premium rate numbers to the scam artists in the first place are likely to come under pressure from the regulators, as well as the scammers themselves, with most consumers unlikely to differentiate between the 076 numbers and a standard mobile number.
As a general rule, especially with mobiles, it’s always better to only call back a number you already know. After all, anyone who genuinely wants to talk to you is more than likely to either call back or leave a message. In this particular case, though, you can be certain that any 076 number is not going to be a friend, and simply dismiss the number, or better still, report it to the regulator here.
