Frequently Asked Questions

CallerCheck is a free UK phone number lookup service that helps you identify unknown callers and avoid scams. Our platform, driven by community reports, lets users search phone numbers, view spam scores, read reports from other users, and contribute their own experiences with suspicious callers.

Yes. Searching numbers, reading reports and submitting your own are free on the website and in the app, with no account needed. The iPhone app also offers CallerCheck PRO, an optional paid upgrade with extra features such as call blocking.

No account is required. You can search numbers and submit reports anonymously. We believe protecting people from scams shouldn't require handing over personal information.

CallerCheck focuses specifically on UK phone numbers and is powered by real community reports. We don't charge for lookups, don't require registration, and don't sell your data. Our spam scores are based on genuine user experiences.

We use AI in two places. First, it screens every new report and highlights anything that may break our content guidelines, but a member of our team still reads and approves every report before it is published. Second, AI writes the short summary shown on some number pages by reading that number's approved community reports and describing the patterns in them. AI does not calculate spam scores, which come directly from the ratings in community reports, and AI summaries can make mistakes, so always read the underlying reports too. AI tools run by other companies, such as AI overviews in search engines, are not ours, and we have no control over what they say about CallerCheck.

Yes. CallerCheck is available for iPhone on the App Store. It isn't available on Android yet.

The app lets you check any UK number, read and submit reports, flag reports that break our rules, and read our scam guides. It can also warn you when a number that people have reported as a scam rings your phone.

The app keeps a list of reported scam numbers on your phone so it can label them when they ring. To turn this on, open your iPhone's Settings, find Phone (under Apps on newer versions of iOS), then Call Blocking & Identification, and switch on CallerCheck. The check happens on your phone, so we're never told who calls you.

Yes. The app is free to download, and checking numbers, reporting calls and scam call warnings are free. CallerCheck PRO is an optional subscription that adds extra features such as automatic blocking of numbers rated as scams, your own block list and alerts when a number you're watching is reported. The price is shown in the app before you subscribe.

No. Like the website, the app works without an account, a name or your phone number.

You can cancel at any time from your App Store subscriptions: open Settings, tap your name, then Subscriptions. PRO stays on until the end of the period you've paid for.

Check that CallerCheck is switched on under Call Blocking & Identification in your iPhone's Settings. A number only gets a warning once it has been reported, and the list on your phone is updated regularly, so a newly reported number can take a little while to appear. If a number is saved in your contacts, your iPhone shows the contact's name instead.

No app can promise that. Warnings and blocking are based on community reports, so a scammer using a new or unreported number won't be recognised. Always be careful with unexpected calls, even when no warning is shown.

Simply enter the phone number in the search box on our homepage or the lookup page. You can enter numbers with or without spaces, and with or without the leading zero. We'll show you any reports, the spam score, and information about the number's location.

For each number, you'll see:

• Spam score (percentage based on community reports)
• Number of reports and lookups
• Geographic location or network type
• Individual reports with comments, call types, and dates
• Whether it's been marked as spam or safe

Yes, you can look up any UK phone number including mobiles (07xxx), landlines (01xxx, 02xxx), freephone (0800), and premium rate numbers (09xxx). We support all UK number formats.

Our database is built from community reports. If a number hasn't been reported yet, we won't have information about it. This doesn't mean the number is safe or dangerous. It simply means no one has reported it yet. You can be the first to submit a report!

CallerCheck currently focuses on UK phone numbers (+44). For international numbers, you may need to use a service specific to that country. We may expand to other countries in the future.

There are two ways to report a number:

1. Search for the number and click "Report this number" on its page
2. Use our dedicated report page to submit a report directly

You'll be asked whether the call was spam or safe, the type of call, and can add an optional comment.

Helpful information includes:

• Whether you answered or it went to voicemail
• What the caller said or claimed to be
• Any company name they mentioned
• Whether it was a recorded message or live person
• How many times they've called

Avoid including personal information in your comments.

Yes! If you received a legitimate call from a business, GP surgery, delivery company, etc., please report it as safe. This helps balance our spam scores and prevents legitimate numbers from being incorrectly flagged.

Yes, all reports are anonymous by default. You can optionally add a display name, but this is entirely voluntary. We don't ask for your phone number or email to submit a report, and we never display anything that identifies you.

Since reports are anonymous and we don't require accounts, we cannot verify ownership of reports. If you've submitted a report with incorrect information or that contains personal data, please contact us and we'll review it.

Every approved report rates the number as safe, unknown, suspicious or spam. The spam score combines those ratings, giving more weight to clear scams, and each person counts once. A number is only shown as high risk once several people have independently reported it. Scores are calculated using our own proprietary algorithm.

• 0-39% Low risk: few or no concerns reported
• 40-69% Medium risk: some concerns, check the reports
• 70-100% High risk: take extra care

The spam score is a helpful indicator but shouldn't be the only factor in your decision. Always read the individual reports for context. A legitimate business might have some negative reports from people who didn't want to be contacted, while a scam number might have a few fake "safe" reports. Use your judgment alongside the data.

Numbers without any reports won't have a spam score. This is shown as "No data" or "Unknown". It doesn't mean the number is safe. It simply means our community hasn't reported on it yet.

We collect as little as we can. You don't need to give any personal details to search or report. We collect limited technical information to prevent abuse and, if you accept analytics cookies, to understand how the site is used. We never sell data to third parties. Our privacy policy has more detail.

No. We never ask for your own phone number, and it is never shown on CallerCheck. When you submit a report, only the number you're reporting is recorded.

If the number is yours, email [email protected] or contact us and choose "Number Removal Request". You can ask us to correct or remove reports, or to take the number's page down. If the page has reports, we first check that the number is yours, usually by texting a short code to it, so nobody can remove a page that isn't theirs. We reply within one month. We may keep a page up where many people have reported the number for scam calls, and we will explain why. A business can also claim its number and add a statement to its page. Our privacy policy has the details.

We use essential cookies to make the site work. With your permission, we also use analytics cookies to understand how people use CallerCheck, and advertising cookies from our advertising partners, which help keep the site free. Ads only load if you accept advertising cookies. You can change your choices at any time in the cookie settings, and our cookie policy lists every cookie we use.

Key protection tips:

• Never give personal or banking details to cold callers
• Don't trust caller ID: it can be faked (spoofed)
• If in doubt, hang up and call back on an official number
• Register with the Telephone Preference Service
• Read our comprehensive Top Scams Guide

Act quickly:

1. Contact your bank immediately if you shared financial details
2. Report it to Report Fraud, formerly Report Fraud (0300 123 2040 or reportfraud.police.uk)
3. Change any passwords that may have been compromised
4. Report the number to CallerCheck to warn others
5. Monitor your accounts and credit report

There are several options:

• Use the call blocking feature built into your phone
• Enable spam protection on iPhone or Android
• Install a call blocking app such as the CallerCheck app for iPhone
• Ask your phone provider about call blocking services
• For landlines, consider BT Call Protect or a physical call blocker

See our complete Block Calls Guide for detailed instructions.

The Telephone Preference Service (TPS) is the UK's official "do not call" register. It's free and legally requires UK companies to stop making unsolicited sales calls to registered numbers. However, it won't stop scammers who ignore the law. We recommend registering (at tpsonline.org.uk) but don't rely on it alone.

In addition to CallerCheck, you can report to:

• Report Fraud (formerly Action Fraud) - for scams and fraud (0300 123 2040)
• Ofcom - for nuisance calls and silent calls
• ICO - for data protection breaches
• 7726 - forward spam texts to this free number

See our Report to Ofcom Guide for more details.

We accept multiple formats:

• With spaces: 020 7946 0958
• Without spaces: 02079460958
• With country code: +44 20 7946 0958
• Without leading zero: 20 7946 0958

Our system will automatically recognise and format the number correctly.

UK phone numbers start with different codes:

• 01/02 - Geographic landlines (e.g., 020 = London)
• 03 - Not tied to a geographic area (same cost as 01/02)
• 07 - Mobile phones
• 0800/0808 - Freephone numbers
• 084/087 - Business rate numbers
• 09 - Premium rate numbers

See our Area Codes Directory for more information.

Scammers often use "CLI spoofing" to display fake numbers on your caller ID. They can make it appear as though they're calling from a bank, HMRC, or even your own number. Never trust caller ID alone: legitimate organisations will let you hang up and call them back on their official number.