Ok I am new to this site but I do have a thing obout these new numbers.  I would like to increase public awareness about organisations using these numbers.

I have added a link to this site to my signature from my own emails together with a note to say that I will not call 0870, 0871 . . . . . numbers.

Any other ideas??

The police do.  I have not had cause to deal with the others recently.

I do have an ongoing dispute with a finance company.  They call me but I won't identify myself on an incoming call (I have been victim of identity theft) so they ask me to return their call on an 0845 number which I have refused to do.  The matter is now being dealt with in writing.

I also received a letter at work from the BBC asking me to call one of these numbers to explain why I did not have a license.  There is no tv at the office but I do not see why I should pay to tell them that.

Bad_Company wrote on Oct 24^th, 2008 at 1:50pm:


How else would you settle your dispute if you won't identify yourself?
They will need certain information to confirm they are speaking to the correct person whether you call them on the 0845 number or an 01/02/03 number, at least they are prepared to call you at their expense, you have to give some ground.

I assume you identify yourself via the writing route you are going down! so what is the difference?

derrick wrote on Oct 24^th, 2008 at 3:02pm:


If they phone me I cannot identify myself as I do not know who is calling me.  I would be happy to return the call if they give me the geographical number the 0845 number is pointing to - or an 0800 number.

Bad_Company wrote on Oct 24^th, 2008 at 4:41pm:


Even if they gave you a different number, you'd want to check the number using an independent source of information to make sure it's really the number of a finance company, not one the scammers are using for that purpose.

Do you know the name of the finance company? Have you Googled them? Have you checked their details with the FSA?

Bad_Company wrote on Oct 24^th, 2008 at 4:41pm:



Totally agree with you, but if you cannot get hold of a geo number then you will not have that option, you have a dispute with them, they have called you, at their expense, I am sure you could determine that they are the correct company, as you are writing to them, you will need to provide evidence that you are the person they need to speak to, so you have now entrusted your information to Royal Mail 

I had this exact problem last year.  We kept getting calls from a witheld number, saying they were from "the bank" and asking for our personal details.  Yeah, right, as if I'd tell such a caller!  And we deal with several banks anyway, so that didn't help.  They eventually said they were HSBC, so I asked for a number I could call them back on, preferably an extension number I could ask for after dialing the main call centre.  "Sorry, we don't take incoming calls." !   They wouldn't, or couldn't, identify themselves,  by even giving me my account number, or advise me on why they were calling, and were very rude and cross with me for not cooperating..

Eventually, I called the call centre number, and they were able to check my accounts and identify what was going on (it was a dormant account that had had a few pounds interest owing on it, and it was their collections department that had been calling me [and no, they wouldn't accept a call being put through to them].) and I sorted it out with them.  And I then advised the bank to close the accounts. 

With all the advice on identity theft, not giving out personal details, etc., it beggers belief that a supposedly reputable bank should think it alright to make unsolicited, withheld number, calls, refuse to identify themselves, but ask for personal details!  And to get stroppy with me when I refuse to give them was just uncalled for.