Who called me from that number?
Free UK reverse phone lookup. Enter the number that called you to see the network Ofcom issued it to, where a landline is based, whether calling back costs extra, and what other people it called reported.
Trace a phone number UKWhat you can legally find out about a caller, and howScam checker: text, email or linkSee which warning signs a message or website has, and where to report itHow it works in three steps
Paste any UK number, see the Ofcom range holder, then read what people the same number has called reported about it. Free, no signup.
Type the number
Paste any UK number — landline, mobile, 0800, 0345, 070… anything. We auto-format as you type.
See the Range Holder
We match against the official Ofcom Numbering Data, refreshed every Wednesday, with longest-prefix-match accuracy.
Read the community verdict
Reports and scam / nuisance / safe votes from people the number has already called, summarised with a 0-10 risk score once enough people have voted.
What you’ll see when you check a UK number
Each number gets its own page. Here’s what it tells you, and where the information comes from.
The network
The provider Ofcom issued the number block to, from Ofcom's weekly numbering data. Numbers can move network, so this is where the number started, not always where it is now.
Type and cost
Landline, mobile, freephone, 03, service or premium rate, so you know whether calling back is free, normal rate or expensive before you dial.
Where it's from
For 01 and 02 numbers, the town or city behind the area code. Mobiles and 03 numbers carry no location.
What people reported
Moderated reports and scam, nuisance or safe votes from people the number has already called, with a 0–10 risk score once enough of them have voted.
Who called me? What to do after a missed call from an unknown number
- Don’t ring back straight away. Numbers starting 070, 09, 087 or 118 can cost far more than a normal call, and “one ring and hang up” calls exist to get you to call back.
- Check the number above. The type of number and the network narrow down who is likely to be calling, and other people’s reports often name the company or the scam.
- If they claimed to be your bank, hang up and dial 159. It connects you safely to most UK banks. For HMRC, couriers or the police, use the number on their official website, not the one that called you.
- Number hidden? On a landline, 1471 plays back the last number that called you unless it was withheld. Our guide to tracing a phone number covers withheld calls and when your network or the police can trace them.
- Report it and block it. Forward scam texts free to 7726. Report fraud to Report Fraud on 0300 123 2040 (or Police Scotland on 101), and add your own report on the number’s page to warn the next person.
Looking for someone rather than a caller? See how to find a UK phone number from an address and what a mobile (cell) phone lookup can and can’t show.
Stop wondering. Start knowing.
Spam calls in the UK are out of control — over half a billion suspicious calls were reported in 2024 alone. WhoCalledLookup lets you check any number in seconds before you pick up, return a missed call, or ring back what claims to be your bank.
Browse by UK area code
Every UK 01, 02 and 03 dialling code has its own page with the principal town, region and a sample of currently-allocated ranges.
Popular non-geographic prefixes
In-depth UK phone-number guides
Cornerstone reference articles covering UK phone number lookup, identification, scam-call detection, format validation and the Ofcom numbering plan. 30 long-form guides, free.
What is a UK reverse phone lookup?
A reverse phone lookup is the process of starting with a phone number and working backwards to find out who it belongs to. Forward directories — old paper phone books, online business listings, contact-centre rotas — start from a name or a place and tell you the number to dial. A reverse lookup runs the other direction: you have the digits already (typically a missed call, a voicemail, or a CLI on your handset) and you want context before you decide whether to call back, block, or report.
In the UK there is no single official register that publishes the current owner of a phone number. The closest public dataset is Ofcom’s Numbering Data, which lists every UK phone-number range and the originally-allocated communications provider (the “Range Holder”). It is updated weekly, published under the Open Government Licence, and is the source of truth for which carrier was first issued any given block. What it does not tell you is the live carrier today (numbers can be ported), the actual subscriber name, or whether the number has any reputation for spam or scam activity.
WhoCalledLookup closes that gap by combining four signals on a single page. First, the structured Ofcom Range Holder for the specific block, matched using a longest-prefix-match against our local mirror of Ofcom’s feed. Second, the dialling-code metadata (principal town and region) for geographic 01/02 numbers. Third, an automatic classification of the number family (geographic, mobile, freephone, non-geographic 03, premium-rate, personal-numbering, corporate range) using the published Ofcom numbering plan. Fourth, moderated reports and votes from people the number has already called.
The combination matters because no single source is sufficient on its own. Ofcom’s Range Holder data is authoritative but reflects allocation, not the live customer behind the digits. Community reports are timely and often name the company or the scam script, but a brand-new number has none yet. Together they answer who called me from this UK number? better than either does alone, and we say plainly when the evidence is thin.
Who is this for? Consumers receiving cold calls or unexpected SMS, small businesses checking whether a missed-call number is a customer or a sales outreach, journalists confirming the provenance of a tip-off number, and security-conscious people who want to verify a caller before giving any information. The lookup is free, requires no account, and is rate-limited per IP rather than per user, so you can check several numbers in succession without signing up.
What this isn’t. WhoCalledLookup is not a debt-collection skip-trace tool, a fraud-investigations platform, or a paid-for “premium people search” service. We do not buy phone-number-to-name data from third-party brokers; we do not return private subscriber information; we do not sell visitor data. The dataset is Ofcom’s public allocation feed plus what people have reported about a number, presented in one place, indexed by number, for free.
Common UK call types you’ll see in a lookup
UK telephone numbering is structured by family rather than by geography. The first two or three digits of a number tell you the family — and the family is the strongest free signal for what kind of call it is. A short glossary of the families you’ll actually encounter in a reverse lookup:
- 01 and 02 — geographic landlines
- Anchored to a UK town or city. The dialling code tells you the originating exchange (020 = London, 0121 = Birmingham, 0161 = Manchester, and so on). Numbers in this family are overwhelmingly genuine residential or business landlines. Number portability means a 01/02 customer can keep their digits after moving anywhere in the UK, and national contact-centres can rent regional CLIs that look local on caller ID.
- 03 — non-geographic standard rate
- 0300, 0330, 0345, 0370 and similar prefixes. Charged at the same rate as a standard UK landline call and included in mobile inclusive minutes by every major UK network. Heavily used by central government (0300), banks (0345), NHS, and large UK businesses that want a single national number.
- 07 — mobile and personal-numbering
- Most 07 numbers are mobile phones (07000–07999 with a couple of carved-out sub-ranges). 070 is a special exception: personal-numbering follow-me redirection that is not mobile and can be expensive to call. Mobile-originated calls in the UK have separate inclusive-minute rules from landline-originated calls in most consumer tariffs.
- 08 — freephone and service
- 0800 and 0808 are freephone — free to call from every UK landline and mobile under the 2015 UK Calling rules; the receiving organisation pays the routing fee. 0844 / 0870 are service numbers with a per-minute Service Charge on top of the caller’s access charge; their use has declined since the 2015 rules forced transparent pricing.
- 09 — premium rate
- Charged at a higher per-minute rate that is split between the originating carrier, the service operator, and the content provider. Legitimately used for some directory enquiries, votes and competition lines; also used by ring-back scams that rely on the recipient calling back to incur the premium charge. Never call back an unknown 09 number until you have verified what it represents.
- 056 — corporate numbering
- A specialist range carved out for organisations that want a national CLI bound to a non-geographic identity. Charged at standard landline rates. Lower-volume than the families above; you may not encounter it often in everyday lookups.
For the full numbering plan including the specific sub-ranges allocated within each family, see How Ofcom allocates UK phone numbers.
Frequently asked questions
How can I find out who just called me?
If the number was shown, type it into the box at the top of this page to see its network, number type, area and any reports from people it has called. If you missed it on a landline, dial 1471 to hear the last number that rang. If the number was withheld, you can't see it yourself, but your network can investigate repeated withheld calls.
How can I find out who owns a phone number in the UK?
Businesses often publish their outbound numbers, so community reports and a search for the number in quotes usually name the company. For a listed landline, BT's A–Z Directory and 118 directory enquiries search by name and area. There is no public directory of UK mobile numbers and no lawful way to get a private person's name from their number; if calls are harassment or fraud, the police can require the network to identify the caller.
Is there a 100% free phone lookup?
Yes. Looking up a UK number here is completely free, with no sign-up, no trial and no paid 'full report'. The service is funded by display advertising. Be wary of sites that show a free preview and then charge for an owner's name: that information isn't lawfully available for UK private numbers.
How do I check if a number is spam in the UK?
Look the number up and read the community reports and votes: several independent 'scam' or 'nuisance' reports are a strong sign. Check the number type too, because 070, 09 and 087 numbers are expensive to ring back. No reports doesn't prove a number is safe, and scammers can fake (spoof) any caller ID, so judge a call by what it asks for. Never give bank details or codes to someone who called you.
Is the WhoCalledLookup reverse phone lookup free?
Yes. Looking up a UK number is free, ad-supported, and requires no account. The service is funded by display advertising and is intended as a public consumer-protection resource.
Why does the Range Holder differ from the network on caller ID?
The Range Holder is the provider Ofcom originally allocated the number block to. Once the number is in service it can be ported (moved) to a different network, and Ofcom does not publish the current carrier. Caller ID may show the porting carrier, the originating carrier, or sometimes a spoofed value.
Can I report a number that called me?
Yes. Look the number up and use 'Did this number call you?' on its page to leave a report and vote scam, nuisance or safe. Reports are moderated before they appear. For fraud, also report to Report Fraud on 0300 123 2040 (Police Scotland on 101 in Scotland), and forward scam texts free to 7726.
Where does WhoCalledLookup get UK area codes from?
Area-code data is compiled from Ofcom's National Telephone Numbering Plan. Each /area/[code] page shows the principal town, region, and a sample of allocated number ranges within that code.
How the WhoCalledLookup tool actually works
The lookup form at the top of this page is a thin shell over four independent data signals. Each is described in detail in a dedicated guide; here is the 200-word summary of what happens when you paste a UK number and press Who called me?
- 1. Parse and normalise to E.164
- Whatever you paste —
020 7946 0000,+44 20 7946 0000,02079460000— is normalised by libphonenumber into the same canonical E.164 form (+442079460000). One URL per number means Google never indexes ten variants of the same lookup. See the UK number format guide for every accepted shape. - 2. Longest-prefix match against Ofcom data
- The national-significant digits are tested against every currently-allocated UK number range in descending prefix length order. The first hit wins. This is identical to the lookup Ofcom themselves run for porting requests — see how Ofcom allocates UK phone numbers for the data model.
- 3. Classify the number family
- The first two or three digits are tested against the Ofcom numbering plan to assign a family: geographic, mobile, freephone, premium-rate, personal-numbering, corporate. The family drives the scam-risk floor — 070 personal-numbering and 09 premium-rate carry an inherent risk profile regardless of any specific report.
- 4. Community reports and votes
- The result page shows moderated reports and scam, nuisance or safe votes from people the number has already called, and a 0–10 risk score once enough have voted. Everything is built from data we hold, so the page loads instantly and says so plainly when nobody has reported a number yet. See how to trace a phone number in the UK for what else you can check.
UK phone-number prefix guide
Every UK phone number falls into one of about a dozen families determined by its first two to four digits. The family controls how the call is billed, how strict the regulator is about who can use the number, and how likely a scam call is to come from it. Use the table below as a quick lookup, then click any prefix for the full cornerstone guide.
| Prefix | Family | Cost to call | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 01 / 02 | Geographic landline | Standard UK landline | Anchored to a UK town. 020 = London, 0121 = Birmingham, 0161 = Manchester, etc. |
| 020 | London | Standard UK landline | London's eight-digit local format. 0207/0208/0203 are sub-prefixes of 020, not separate codes. |
| 0300 | Non-geographic (gov / charity) | Standard UK landline | Reserved for public bodies and charities. Included in mobile inclusive minutes. |
| 0303 | Non-geographic (public sector) | Standard UK landline | Sub-range of 03 used by local councils, regulators, NHS lines. |
| 0330 | Non-geographic | Standard UK landline | Business 03 numbers; same call cost as a normal landline. |
| 0333 | Non-geographic | Standard UK landline | Charity / not-for-profit 03 sub-range. |
| 0345 | Non-geographic (banks) | Standard UK landline | Banks' standard customer-service prefix. Included in mobile inclusive minutes. |
| 0500 | Legacy freephone (withdrawn) | Withdrawn 2017 | All 0500 numbers were withdrawn by Ofcom in 2017 and ported to 0800. |
| 056 | Corporate numbering | Standard UK landline | Numbers allocated to companies that want a non-geographic CLI at landline rate. |
| 070 | Personal numbering (not mobile) | Up to 50p/min + access charge | Looks like a mobile but isn't. High scam-risk family. |
| 076 | Pager | Standard / varies | UK paging service. Genuine pager calls are rare in 2026. |
| 07 | UK mobile | Standard UK mobile | All UK mobiles start 07. The first 4 digits identify the original network. |
| 0800 / 0808 | Freephone | Free to call (all UK) | Free from every UK landline and mobile under the 2015 UK Calling rules. |
| 0843 / 0844 / 0871 | Service number (caller pays) | Service charge + access charge | Caller pays the recipient's per-minute service charge on top of their normal access charge. |
| 09 | Premium rate | Up to several pounds / minute | Never call back an unknown 09 number until you've verified what it represents. |
| 118XXX | Directory enquiries | Premium per-minute + connection | Six-digit codes for directory-enquiry services. Notoriously expensive. |
| Short codes | 5-digit SMS / voice | Per-message charge | Used for SMS voting, charity donations, marketing opt-ins. |
Source: Ofcom National Telephone Numbering Plan, last refreshed in our weekly Wednesday ingest.
UK numbers people are checking
Each page is a single number: Ofcom range holder, caller verdicts and any community reports. These are the numbers with enough first-hand signal to publish — not a dump of every lookup.
- +44 7961 6770014 community reports
- +44 115 683 96433 community reports
- +44 131 374 41403 community reports
- +44 141 846 88633 community reports
- +44 161 565 45113 community reports
- +44 7775 1859053 community reports
- +44 7806 9390243 community reports
- +44 114 322 63762 community reports
- +44 117 205 51282 community reports
- +44 118 417 07202 community reports
- +44 131 285 40152 community reports
- +44 131 381 36062 community reports
- +44 141 467 39492 community reports
- +44 1501 7472192 community reports
- +44 1902 5043422 community reports
- +44 20 3089 21392 community reports
- +44 20 3566 10672 community reports
- +44 20 3896 94562 community reports
- +44 20 4613 71992 community reports
- +44 20 7714 31612 community reports
- +44 20 8129 50172 community reports
- +44 20 8248 67372 community reports
- +44 20 8554 47022 community reports
- +44 330 174 57352 community reports
Browse the full leaderboards on UK number reports, most searched and recently reported.
UK mobile number blocks people are looking up
The first five digits of a UK mobile number (such as 07344) point to the block Ofcom allocated it from. These are the blocks the most different people checked in the last 90 days.
- 07344 numbers916 people checked it, mostly allocated to Vodafone
- 07441 numbers764 people checked it, allocated to several networks
- 07368 numbers495 people checked it, mostly allocated to Sky UK
- 07345 numbers490 people checked it, mostly allocated to Vodafone
- 07304 numbers487 people checked it, mostly allocated to EE
- 07359 numbers397 people checked it, mostly allocated to Sky UK
- 07300 numbers295 people checked it, mostly allocated to EE
- 07517 numbers280 people checked it, mostly allocated to O2
- 07432 numbers278 people checked it, mostly allocated to EE
- 07376 numbers271 people checked it, mostly allocated to EE
- 07756 numbers252 people checked it, mostly allocated to O2
- 07534 numbers242 people checked it, mostly allocated to EE
- 07518 numbers237 people checked it, mostly allocated to O2
- 07460 numbers234 people checked it, mostly allocated to Three
- 07873 numbers232 people checked it, mostly allocated to O2
- 07882 numbers229 people checked it, mostly allocated to Three
- 07999 numbers216 people checked it, mostly allocated to O2
- 07353 numbers216 people checked it, mostly allocated to Vodafone
Every block is listed by network on UK mobile prefixes.
Latest community reports
What visitors reported about unknown callers most recently, each on its own page with replies.
- unknown.07858 172294 · parcel and courier scams · 0 replies
- Lloyds update security07376 123632 · bank impersonation · 0 replies
- fraud with stockaccount07787 959357 · General — who called me? · 0 replies
- Hung up on answer07848 910586 · General — who called me? · 0 replies
- TV licencing company (BBC)07506 621231 · bank impersonation · 0 replies
- Amazon Scam07816 887843 · General — who called me? · 0 replies
Browse every thread in the community reports.
Eight UK scam-call patterns to recognise
The same eight pretexts account for the bulk of consumer phone-scam reports we see in our community feed and across Report Fraud aggregates. Spot the pattern before you reply.
Spoofed bank fraud team
Caller claims to be from your bank's fraud line and reads the last four digits of your card. Real bank fraud teams never ask you to move money to a 'safe account'. Hang up and dial 159 to be put through to your bank safely.
HMRC arrest threat
Pre-recorded voice claims HMRC will issue a warrant for your arrest unless you call back or press 1. HMRC never threaten arrest by phone. If you owe tax HMRC will write to you.
Royal Mail parcel fee
SMS or call asking you to pay an outstanding parcel delivery fee. Royal Mail never request payment by SMS link. Forward to 7726 and report to Report Fraud (formerly Action Fraud).
Spoofed CLI from your own provider
Caller display shows your bank, EE, BT or Sky. CLI is trivial to spoof on VoIP — never trust the displayed number. Call back on a number from the official website.
070 ring-back trap
Missed call from an 07-looking number. 070 numbers cost up to 50p/min plus access charge — they look mobile but are personal-numbering redirects. If you don't recognise the 070, don't ring back.
Premium-rate ring-back
Single-ring missed call from an 09 number. Returning the call connects you to a premium-rate line that may charge several pounds per minute.
Tech-support callback
Caller claims to be Microsoft / Apple / your ISP and says your device is compromised. No mainstream tech vendor proactively phones consumers. End the call.
Withheld-number first contact
Any new sales/'survey' call from a fully withheld CLI is a red flag. Legitimate cold callers in the UK are required to present a callable CLI under PECR.
When in doubt, dial 159 from any UK landline or mobile to reach your bank's fraud team safely, and report scam calls via our reporting guide.
Top 20 UK area codes
The most-searched UK geographic dialling codes. Each page lists the principal town, the Ofcom range holders that issue numbers on that code, and a sample of currently-allocated blocks. Useful when you want to know who called you from a specific UK city before you paste the full number above.
UK phone-number validation, range-holder and lookup API
The same Ofcom-backed engine that powers the on-page lookup is exposed as a JSON REST endpoint. Validate a UK number, return its E.164 form, identify the range holder, and classify the number family — in a single round-trip. Free for low-volume use, rate-limited at 60 requests / minute / IP, with ETag and 24-hour cache headers so a sensible caller can fetch hundreds of numbers without re-running the lookup. Postman / cURL examples in the guide.
Browse the database
Jump straight into the source data: the most-searched UK area codes, the biggest Ofcom range holders, and our latest editorial guides.
Popular UK area codes
Major UK providers
Latest guides
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