070 Numbers Explained: What They Are, What They Cost & Why Scammers Use Them

What is an 070 number?

070 numbers are personal numbers. They are not tied to a place or a mobile handset: a personal number simply forwards incoming calls to another phone, which can be anywhere in the world. That forwarding trick is the whole point of the range — it lets a business or individual publish one number that follows them around.

The confusion is deliberate-looking but accidental: 070 starts with 07, exactly like a UK mobile (071–079). Most people see 07 and assume “mobile”. Ofcom, the UK telecoms regulator, reserves 070 specifically for personal numbers, and the two ranges behave very differently when you call them.

What does it cost to call an 070 number?

Calls to 070 numbers are often charged at a higher rate than standard mobile calls, and the exact price depends on your phone provider — it is not included in most free-minutes bundles in the same way a normal mobile call is. That is why the golden rule of 070 numbers is simple: never call one back from a missed call without checking it first.

Ofcom has capped the wholesale cost of 070 calls in recent years, which brought retail prices down, but the range still carries a higher risk of an expensive surprise than an ordinary mobile number. If a number you don’t recognise starts with 070, check it with our free reverse lookup before you dial.

Why do scammers love 070 numbers?

Three reasons make the range attractive to fraudsters:

• They look like mobiles. Victims see 07 and trust the call far more than they would a premium-rate 09 number.
• They can be run from anywhere. Because the number forwards to any phone worldwide, the caller behind it may not be in the UK at all.
• Callback charges. Some scams work by getting you to ring back — the “missed call” or “one ring” trick — and profiting from the call cost.

Common 070 scam scripts include fake job offers, bogus parcel or delivery messages, and “you’ve won a prize” calls that ask you to ring a number to claim it. The pattern is almost always the same: urgency, a reward or a threat, and a request to call back or share details.

How to tell an 070 number from a real mobile

The only reliable test is the prefix: if the number starts with 070, it is a personal number, not a mobile. Real UK mobiles start with 071, 072, 073, 074, 075, 076 (special services), 077, 078 or 079. A quick way to check any number is our lookup tool on the Who Called Me homepage — type the number in and it identifies the type instantly.

Also remember that legitimate organisations do use 070 numbers occasionally — hospitals and some businesses use them for staff contact numbers. The range itself is not proof of a scam, but an unknown 070 number always deserves a check before a callback.

What to do about unwanted 070 calls

• Don’t call back unknown 070 numbers from missed calls.
• Block the number on your phone — see our guide on how to block spam calls in the UK.
• Report fraud to Action Fraud if a caller tried to trick you out of money or personal details.
• Register with the TPS (Telephone Preference Service) to cut down legitimate marketing calls — though it won’t stop scammers, who ignore it.

Frequently asked questions