Malicious or nuisance calls are unwanted phone calls that can be annoying, disruptive, or even harmful. They include spam calls, scam calls trying to steal your personal info or money, and prank calls meant to bother you. These calls often come from unknown numbers and try to trick you into giving away details or paying money. It’s important to be cautious and know how to handle them.

📞 Calls from SMARTY

SMARTY will never call you and ask for personal details – unless you’ve submitted a complaint and specifically asked for a call-back.

If someone calls claiming to be from SMARTY and you weren’t expecting it, don’t share any information. Hang up and report it to us.

If you’re worried about receiving malicious or nuisance calls, there are a few precautions you can take:

Don’t answer calls from withheld numbers or numbers that you don’t recognise.
If you get a call with an automated message, never make any number selections.
Don’t leave your name and number on your voicemail.
If you ever receive a call from someone claiming to be from your bank and you are unsure, hang up, and you can call your bank using the number on the back of your card to make sure it was them.
❗ Important: If the caller makes a direct threat of harm, call 999. If the threat isn’t immediate, call 101 - the non-emergency number for the police.

💡 Our Tip: Don’t call back missed calls from numbers you don’t recognise. If it was urgent, they’ll leave a voicemail or try again.

I answered a call from a suspected malicious or nuisance number, what should I do?

🔐 Change your passwords – especially for important accounts like SMARTY, online banking, and email.
🏦 Let your bank know – if you gave the caller any card or bank details or made any payments, contact them as soon as possible. They’ll advise you on the best next steps.
❌ Don’t answer again – Block the number on your phone to stop further calls from that number.
👀 Stay alert for follow-up calls, texts, or emails – scammers may try again from a different number.
📨 Report the call

For more advice on how to manage nuisance calls, visit http://consumers.ofcom.org.uk/ and http://www.tpsonline.org.uk/tps/index.html

Common types of malicious or nuisance calls

📞 Silent or missed call scams

These are calls that ring and usually don’t leave a voicemail. If you answer or call back, the scammer knows your number is active and may try again – or worse, try to charge you through a premium-rate number.

📵 Wangiri

Named after a Japanese term meaning “one and cut,” this scam involves a call that rings once or twice before hanging up. It’s designed to make you curious and call back. These numbers are often based internationally, so you could receive a charge for calling them back.

How you can prevent nuisance calls 🚫

Report

Reporting allows us and other mobile networks to block numbers which are causing distress:

Text the word CALL followed by the number of the nuisance caller free of charge to 7726.
You will receive notification of the successful report.

Register for TPS

The Telephone Preference Service (TPS) is the UK’s only official ‘Do Not Call’ register for landlines and Mobile numbers. It allows people and businesses to opt out of unsolicited live sales and marketing calls.

It’s free and quick to register a telephone number. Doing so will reduce the amount of unwanted sales and marketing calls you receive

Find out more and how to register here

Device options 📱

Samsung Smart Call

For Samsung devices, the Smart Call function flags calls that are suspected spam or fraud, and lets you easily block or report the number. Most Samsung customers also have the auto-block capability that stops known fraud calls before reaching your phone. Turn the Smart Call feature on following the steps below: