Is this phone number a scam? How to check a number
The number alone will not tell you whether a caller is genuine: scammers can put any number on your screen, your bank’s included. Check whether it has been reported, but judge the call by what the caller wants — and if in doubt, call back on a number you looked up yourself.
Paste a number into the checker and you see straight away what is known about it. The format does not matter: 06…, +31 6… and 0031 6… are the same number to us, so every report about it lands on one page.
A phone number has no website or certificate to examine, so the check looks at reports from visitors, lists of reported numbers and the type of number. A foreign number is only a small signal and never changes the outcome on its own. There are three outcomes:
“No reports yet — stay alert”: nobody has reported it and it is on no list. That is not the same as safe.
“Caution” (6 out of 10): it is on a list, someone flagged it without explaining, it is a premium-rate 090x number, or it has been looked up 8 times or more with nobody saying it seemed genuine.
“Danger” (10 out of 10): a visitor described what happened, or several visitors reported a scam.
Bear in mind that scammers can display a different number from the one they are calling from (spoofing). That number may belong to someone with nothing to do with the scam. A report means “be careful with whoever is using this number”, not “the owner is a fraudster”.
How to spot it
- 1One ring, then a missed call.Often from a foreign number. This is known as wangiri: call back and you hear a recorded ringing tone while running up steep call charges.
- 2A premium-rate number: 0900, 0906 or 0909.You often pay extra on top of your normal call charges, and a recording tells you the price first. Customer service for something you have already bought is not allowed to cost extra.
- 30088 or +88 instead of 088.088 is a Dutch business number and costs the same as a landline. 0088 and +88 are international numbers, used for satellite phones among other things, and can be expensive.
- 4A country code you did not expect.+31 is the Netherlands, +32 Belgium, +44 the United Kingdom. A foreign number does not prove a scam, and a Dutch 06 mobile number does not prove the caller is genuine.
- 5A familiar number with an odd request.Your bank never asks you to move money to a “safe account” or to give your PIN, even when its number is on your screen.
- 6A recording asking you to press a key.Often in English, claiming to be the police or the Dutch Supreme Court. Then a fake “police officer” asks for your details, your money or access to your computer. Hang up.
A real example, taken apart
- Ringing once and hanging up is the wangiri pattern: the whole point is to make you call back.
- Call back and you hear a recorded ringing tone while an expensive line bills you.
- Check the number by all means, but do not call back.
What you do
- Do not call back a number you do not know.Dutch numbers included. Anyone who really needs you will call again.
- Check the number.Paste it into the checker below. If it says “No reports yet”, judge the call by what was asked of you, not by the number.
- Hang up and call back yourself.Use the number on your bank card, in your banking app or on a website whose address you typed in; not a search engine, where fake sites can turn up. Some banking apps let you check whether an employee is really calling.
- Block and report.Block the number. Report a scam attempt to the Fraudehelpdesk, the Dutch fraud helpline (088 - 7867372), and unwanted sales calls to ACM ConsuWijzer. Report the number here too: choose “Scam” and describe in one sentence what happened.
- Already paid, shared details or installed an app?Call your bank straight away so no further payments can go through. Then report it to the police (online, or by appointment via 0900-8844) and tell the Fraudehelpdesk.
- Someone at the door to collect your card or cash?Call 112 immediately.
Never do this
- Call back an unknown number after a missed call.
- Press a key because a recording tells you to.
- Move money to a “safe account”: there is no such thing.
- Give your PIN or login details, or install an app, because a caller asks.
Questions people ask
Is this phone number safe?
You cannot tell from the number itself. Check whether it has been reported and look at what the caller wants: if it is money, your PIN or an app, hang up and contact the organisation yourself.
The check says “No reports yet”. Is the number safe?
Not necessarily. Nobody has reported it to us and it is on no list, but a number that has just come into use always starts without reports. That is why we show no score and never say safe.
Does a reported number always belong to a scammer?
No. With spoofing, the Fraudehelpdesk notes, the number shown usually belongs to someone with nothing to do with the scam. So a report means: be careful with whoever is using this number, not that the owner is a fraudster.
Can I trust 0800 and 0900 numbers?
0800 numbers are free to call. 0900, 0906 and 0909 often cost extra, and a free announcement first tells you the price and who runs the service. Overcharged? Hold off paying the extra charge and complain to your phone provider.
I missed a call from a +44 or +32 number. Is it a scam?
Not necessarily: +44 is the United Kingdom and +32 Belgium. But if you do not know the number and it rang only once, do not call back. Anyone who really needs you will call again.
I live in Belgium. Where do I report a scam?
The Belgian FPS Economy asks you to report scams through ConsumerConnect and to file a report with your local police. If money has left your account, contact your bank and call Card Stop.
Why can’t I find every number on Google?
Only numbers with a firm signal may appear in search engines: the number is on a list, or several visitors described what happened, on different days. You can still check any other number here, but an empty page helps nobody, and an ordinary person’s number does not belong on Google.
Paste it into the checker. Thirty seconds, and you know what others already saw.
Read next
Sources
Fraudehelpdesk — missed call from a strange number (Dutch) · Fraudehelpdesk — calls from a recorded English message (Dutch) · Fraudehelpdesk — called by my bank (Dutch) · Fraudehelpdesk — report fraud · Dutch government — odd or fake phone calls, spoofing (Dutch) · Dutch government — unwanted calls from companies (Dutch) · ACM ConsuWijzer — Dutch phone number ranges (Dutch) · ACM ConsuWijzer — calling premium-rate numbers (Dutch) · ACM ConsuWijzer — missed call from abroad (Dutch) · ACM ConsuWijzer — nuisance calls (Dutch) · Dutch police — bank helpdesk fraud by phone (Dutch) · Dutch police — reporting phone fraud (Dutch) · FPS Economy, Belgium — phishing advice (Dutch)