With Christmas and New Year just around the corner and many left more vulnerable because of the cost of living crisis, fraudsters and scam artists are out in force.

Avoiding these individuals is becoming more difficult as they employ new ways of reaching people and separating them from their hard-earned money.

Emails, texts, and phone calls are some of the most common ways scammers are reaching people.

With all this in mind, here are some phone numbers you should avoid calling back this Christmas.

Phone numbers you should avoid if you receive a call or text from them

While scammers and other deceitful persons may call your mobile phone number, there is a high chance that you are being called by an automatic dialer. 

These dialers show up on a person's phone as a missed call, prompting some to phone back.

This is then used by criminals to charge premium rates on unsuspecting people. The most common of these numbers include 070, 0945, and 0843.

Here are some other numbers to watch out for:

  • 0843
  • 070
  • 076
  • 0845
  • 090
  • 118
  • 091
  • 084
  • 087

Phone scams you should be aware of

Here are some scams to watch out for according to Ofcom:

Number spoofing scams

According to the Office of Communications (Ofcom), a greater number of nuisance calls are coming from those that take part in phone spoofing.

Phone spoofing is when criminals purposely change their caller ID so that it is harder for people to screen them out.

This allows them to hide their real phone number or to mimic the number of a real company.

They do this to extract information such as bank account logins.

To avoid being scammed, it is recommended that people don't give out personal information to incoming calls and instead call the number on a verified letter.

'Wangri' missed call scams

This scam involves dialers calling someone's phone and instantly hanging up when the recipient answers.

If the victim calls this number back they will find themselves connected to an expensive phone number such as an international number which will then charge a premium rate.

These calls tend to originate from developing countries like Botswana, Guinea, and Guyana and begin with the dialling codes: +267, +224, +592 respectively.

If you receive a call you don't recognise, especially if it's from overseas, don't answer it.