Who Called Me Check: How It Works and What It Can Tell You

Who Called Me Check is a free UK service for one simple job: helping you work out who called you from a number you don't recognise, before you answer or ring back. This article explains what you'll see when you search, where the information comes from and where its limits are.

What you see when you search a number

• Line type: mobile, landline, 03, freephone, business rate, premium rate, personal number or internet phone.
• Location: for landlines, the town or region the area code belongs to.
• Range holder: the telecoms company the block of numbers was originally issued to.
• Cost to call back: in plain English, from free to premium rate.
• Caller rating: Scam, Spam, Neutral or Mixed, based on people's reports.
• Reports: short descriptions from people who received a call.
• Other formats: the different ways the same number might appear on your phone.

Where the information comes from

The numbering facts are matched against data published by Ofcom, the UK communications regulator, which records what each range of numbers is for and which company it was issued to.

The ratings and reports come from visitors. Ratings count immediately. Written reports are read by a moderator before they go live, so personal details and abuse are removed.

What it can't tell you

• The name of a private individual. We don't publish names or addresses of private people.
• Who is behind a withheld number. There's nothing to look up.
• Whether the number was spoofed. Caller ID can be faked, so a call may not really have come from the number shown.
• The current network of a mobile. People keep their numbers when they switch, so we show the network the block was first issued to.

How to add your own report

1. Search the number and open its page.
2. Tap Spam, Scam or Neutral at the top to rate it in one tap.
3. If you want, use the report form to describe the call: who they said they were and what they wanted.
4. Leave out personal details such as names, addresses, account numbers and codes.

Other tools on the site

• Bulk checker: paste a list of numbers to check them all at once.
• Area code finder: match any 01 or 02 code to its town.
• Mobile prefixes and networks: see what an 07 prefix tells you.
• Scam calls: descriptions of the scripts going around right now.

Is it really free?

Yes. There's no account, no subscription and no "pay to reveal" option. The site is supported by adverts, which never affect ratings or what we say about any number.