Closed petition Ban call spoofing with intent to defraud

Closed on 8 July 2021

Commonly called 'Spoofing' numbers, it is misleading to get you to answer your phone. Call centres are using software to fool your phone’s caller ID system to hide their real identity. This means they can make it look like they’re calling from a mobile number, or from a local area code.

However, the number of nuisance calls using spoofing technology is rising, with Ofcom estimating that as many as two billion nuisance calls are made using fake numbers each and every year. And the real kicker is that this allows nuisance calling companies to bypass the call blocking device you might have bought.

This isn’t always done for devious reasons – some companies display a freephone number so you can call them back without being charged, but that needs controlling