The leading free reverse phone lookup service, Who Called Me, has provided urgent advice on how to deal with nuisance callers, following a recent study showing that 16% of UK consumers have lost money to phone scams in the last year.
The study by Hiya found that victims lost an average of £632, leading industry experts to advise the public to exercise caution when answering calls from unknown or private numbers.
Who Called offers users the ability to search for phone numbers that have called them and flags suspected scam callers through reports from others who have received similar calls. The service reveals the caller’s identity and location, helping users decide whether to answer future calls.
Calls are classified using a colour-coded system: red indicates dangerous numbers, orange signifies harassment, grey denotes unknown, blue is neutral, and green indicates safe.
Yasin Kultur at Who Called stated: “We receive reports daily from different individuals about numbers they don’t recognise, and we provide a rating that shows whether the call is dangerous, harassing, unknown, neutral, or safe. This method, based on real user experiences, is a reliable way to check a number.”
“With the prevalence of phone scams now at unprecedented levels, it is crucial for the public to remain vigilant and report any suspicious calls they receive to help warn others of potential threats.”
Yasin Kultur highlighted that most fraudulent activity and scam payments occur when callers return a missed call from an unknown, unrecognised number. Scammers often hang up before the call is answered, prompting a return call to a premium rate number.
Yasin added: “Scams and fraud activities will always target innocent people, but by sharing our experiences with numbers that have called or texted us, we can help protect each other and make the situation safer for everyone. No one deserves to be scammed or face unfair losses.”
For more information on protecting yourself from nuisance callers, visit whocalled.co.uk.
