Scam communications using electronic communications services - I am receiving calls on my mobile from strangers saying that they found a missed call from my number. Was my mobile number stolen?

If you are receiving calls on your mobile from strangers saying that they found a missed call from you, or that you called them earlier, it is possible that scammers may have recently ‘spoofed’ your mobile number. The person they intended to scam is likely returning a missed call or expecting to speak to the scammer, not to you. 

In such calls, keep in mind that the person calling you may not know anything about ‘spoofing’ phone numbers in the Caller ID, (scroll up for the dedicated FAQ on what is “spoofing” ). This person may therefore suspect that it was you who actually placed the call, since it was your number showing in the Caller ID on their phone! 

In such situations, calmly tell the caller to seek out information from their service provider or the MCA on the subject of ‘spoofing scam calls’, and explain that you are just as much a victim as the other party if your number has been spoofed by the scammers. If the other person is uncooperative and becomes confrontational, it is not advisable to continue the conversation. Hang up, and consider blocking the number of the person who called you to avoid any further confrontation.

Whilst this situation generally happens after there is mobile number spoofing, it is always best to be cautious and rule out other possible explanations. Therefore, if you start receiving several calls of this type, particularly if these persist over a longer period of time, it is advisable to seek assurance from your mobile service provider that your device is indeed not generating unauthorised calls. In rare cases, malware (like viruses) on your device may also generate unauthorised ‘invisible’ calls, so it’s always best to verify and rule this out. If you are informed by your mobile service provider that your number was actually spoofed by a scammer, be aware that, thankfully, scammers typically only use the same spoofed numbers over a very short period of time. You should therefore not need to consider changing your mobile number if this happened to you!