Why am I getting a credit for calls to 0845 or 0843 numbers?
Ofcom are investigating some companies who supply 0845 and 0843 numbers (known as non-geographic numbers) where they may benefit financially from unsolicited calls made by mobile customers to these types of numbers.
The numbers involved in the investigation include:
0843 940 XXX
0843 950 XXX
0843 974 XXX
0843 980 XXX
0845 429 XXX
0843 945 XXX
0843 955 XXX
0843 966 XXX
0843 977 XXX
0843 988 XXX
0845 298 XXX
You may have received a missed call from one of the number ranges listed above. You may have called the number back, even though you weren’t expecting the call, and then been charged the rate for calling a non-geographical number.
While Ofcom carry out their investigation, we have blocked outgoing calls to these number ranges at Ofcom’s request. As a gesture of goodwill, we are arranging a refund for our customers who may have called one of the numbers back before we blocked them.
If you get a missed call from a number you don’t know, especially 0845 or 0843 number, think twice before calling it back as you’ll be charged. If the caller really needs to contact you, they’ll leave a message or try again.
When will I get my refund?
If you are a Pay Monthly or Business customer, your refund will be added as airtime credit on your next bill.
If you are a Pay As You Go customer, your refund was added to your balance before you received the text from us.
You can use My O2 to view and manage your bills.
How can I stop this happening in future?
We recommend you register your mobile by texting Telephone Preference Service (TPS) and your email address to 85095 (texts are free). You should get less unsolicited calls after a few days, although it can take up to 28 days to be fully effective.
If you've previously registered on the TPS and are still receiving calls after 28 days, you can raise a complaint with the TPS. You should also send an email to nuisance@telefonica.com with the following details:
your mobile number
the number calling you (if available)
information about the type of call
the date and time of the calls
We'll check through everything and let Ofcom know the details.
If you've signed up to receive communications from an organisation, but you no longer wish to receive calls or texts, you can ask them to remove your details from their records. This should stop further calls.
Last updated: 13/02/2025
