Virgin Media Community

[Peanuts1]

How quick and easy is it to change your Virgin landline number and is there a charge for doing this? I want to stop (or at least reduce) the number of nuisance calls I am currently receiving on my landline.

[goslow · Accepted solution]

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@Peanuts1 wrote:

How quick and easy is it to change your Virgin landline number and is there a charge for doing this? I want to stop (or at least reduce) the number of nuisance calls I am currently receiving on my landline.

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Changing your number may not do what you are hoping for.

If you are troubled by scam callers (fake Amazon, BT, Microsoft etc.) these calls are generated automatically by phone diallers which call blocks of numbers in sequence. Any replacement number you get will (eventually) be included once again in those dialling groups.

Any 'new' number you get from VM will actually be a recycled number from VM's pool of allocated numbers. It may bring with it its own past history of nuisance calls.

If you want to stop scam callers you need to put in screening measures at your end of the line such as a trueCall device or a BT phone which has trueCall screening features built in

https://www.truecall.co.uk/category-s/116.htm

Changing your number may be worth considering if you need to break contact with a person who is known to you but doing so still brings with it the risk of alternative types of nuisance calls inherited from the recycled number. If you do decide to go ahead with a change, I believe VM will give you one change of number free of charge.

[Robert_P]

Hello Peanuts1

Sorry to hear of the calls you have been receiving and the frustration caused, we appreciate this being raised via the forums.

As goslow has advised, changing the number may only temporarily resolve the issue. We have help here for calls of this nature and how to deal with them, there is also TPS or Telephone Preference Service for advice also.

Let us know if these help or if you require further assistance with this 🙂

Rob

[Peanuts1]

Hi goslow

Many thanks for your helpful reply to my query.

It seems that these scam calls are more common than I'd realised. In my case, the calls are more an occasional nuisance, rather than a major issue, a bit like receiving batches of junk emails every so often.

I have found that switching off the voicemail feature on my home phone for several weeks has greatly reduced the number of scam calls. It seems that answering the phone to these calls simply generates more of them. Most of the time the caller hangs up when you answer.

I've also registered my phone numbers with the TPS and my home phone has the caller ID feature enabled, so I don't generally pick up numbers I don't recognise.

I think I've done everything I can to deal with the issue (apart from buying a call screening phone such as the one you suggested), and following your advice, I'm not inclined to change my number now which at best would mostly likely provide only a temporary solution.

[Peanuts1]

Hi Rob

Thanks for your helpful advice regarding my query.

Following earlier posts, I feel much better informed in dealing with these scam calls in future and have decided not to go ahead and change my number. However, I will contact your team again if the problem gets any worse and I need further assistance.

[goslow]

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@Peanuts1 wrote:

Hi goslow

Many thanks for your helpful reply to my query.

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You are correct on all of your points and decisions IMO.

If you answer a scam call, your number is marked as 'active' and you will receive more calls. They will keep calling indefinitely in the hope they will get to talk to someone who will listen to their scammer script and be taken in by what they have to say.

Ideally, let the unknown scam calls go unanswered. When the line is silent upon answering it just means when the automatic dialler has connected your call there was no human scammer at the other end available to talk to you so the line is silent or disconnects. The scam diallers can also detect an answering machine response so that is actually the same as answering the phone in person in determining an 'active' line and the calls will persist. Turning the answering machine off means the line keeps ringing out. If the line is never answered it is likely your number will be demoted for attention from the scammers. The auto diallers also work through particular blocks of numbers so you may get periods of greater and lesser scam calling.

If you don't get that many scam calls, see if your existing phone has a 'VIP' feature on it (terminology varies between manufacturers). This is basically a 'tag' you can apply to contacts in your phone contact lists (tagging the name as a VIP caller). Once a caller is tagged as a VIP, some phones then allow you to set a specific ring tone for VIP callers. If you hear the VIP ringtone, you know it is someone known to you without having to look at caller ID on the phone. Leave anything else to answering machine (or preferably ring out unanswered).

Some phones also have a 'do not disturb' feature which will keep the phone silent when you activate it (either manually or for timed periods in the day). On some models VIP callers can be set to break through the 'do not disturb' period so your phone should be silent unless a VIP caller breaks through the do not disturb setting.

Your existing phone may have other features to help. Just depends on your phone make/model.

[Robert_P]

You're welcome Peanuts1, we understand how frustrating these types of calls can be and goslow does an excellent job of explaining just how 'elaborate' these scammers can be and the lengths they will go to. They also make some excellent points in regards of different ways to help prevent these types of calls or minimise the chances of getting caught in the loop.

Rob