Fake numbers in 1471 from scammers

[#1]

This seems to be the latest game to get around call blockers etc, I just had a recorded PPI call and as usual did 1471 after I cut it off to get the number for the ICO, it was 01956 42355 one digit short! (UK landlines are 11 digits) so these [-Censored-]s are somehow spoofing the number they are calling from even though its a landline ?

Shouldn't the phone providers be doing something about this as it defeats some means by which we poor customers use to detect and ignore fraud calls ?

[#2]

Hi Hitchhiker, 

whilst these calls are most definitely annoying(I don't even own a handset for this reason), that number is a real number, UK numbers can be 10 or 11 digits  

[#3]

that number is a real number, UK numbers can be 10 or 11 digits

Ohh thank you I didn't realize that, several look up sites reported it as fake on the basis of not being 11 digits, well I reported it to the ICO anyway (not that I am sure that does anything except keep there server busy)!

[#4]

@hitchhiker43  @Darkfire

True - UK numbers can be 10 digits i.e. five digits after the area code.

However, in this particular case, it's definitely a spoofed number, as 01956 is not a valid code, as can be checked on the BT website.

[#5]

As an additional observation:  Most of these 'spoofed' calls I've had in the last few weeks are carefully crafted to look like one of your well known local prefixes - so a quick glance at the displayed number makes you woonder if is a local call? 

M