Ofcom is stepping up its attack on scam calls and mobile messaging with a new set of rules to force mobile networks to block, limit and disrupt criminal gangs from bombarding both consumers and businesses.
Fraud accounts for an estimated 45% of all reported crime incidents in England and Wales and £1.28bn was lost to criminals in 2025, according to UK Finance. This year, four in ten (40%) UK mobile users reported having received at least one suspicious message on their mobile phone over a three month period.
To help tackle this problem, Ofcom is publishing a comprehensive package of practical measures for mobile providers to adopt. Building on existing best practice industry initiatives, these measures are designed to address gaps in protection for consumers and businesses and raise the bar across the mobile sector.
Many mobile providers have taken steps in recent years to identify and disrupt scam messages, blocking an estimated 600 million plus each year. Despite this action, scam messages continue to cause significant harm and distress to victims.
To tackle person-to-person messaging scams, under the new rules mobile providers must collect information about scam messages, weblinks and phone numbers from their customers and from anti-fraud organisations.
They must then block scam messages in transit by identifying those being carried on their networks by detecting malicious weblinks and phone numbers, and also set volume limits for pay-as-you-go SIM cards. Ofcom insists this will make it harder for scammers to message large numbers of potential victims at once.
To disrupt business messaging scams, mobile operators and ‘aggregators’ that transmit businesses’ mobile messages must conduct due diligence checks, as well “Know Your Traffic” checks, including reviewing account activity and promptly investigating reports of fraud.
Where scam activity is identified, networks must root out criminals who are using business messaging services and hold companies to account where they have not conducted appropriate checks and block scam messages in transit.
Additionally, Ofcom is introducing strengthened guidance setting out how telecoms companies should protect people in the UK from international calls that imitate – or “spoof” – UK mobile numbers.
Under the guidance, telecoms companies should now withhold the caller ID of calls that appear to come from a UK mobile roaming abroad, unless they can verify its validity.
Ofcom strategy delivery director Amy Jordan said: “Mobile messaging scams can have devastating consequences for victims, with criminal gangs using ever more sophisticated techniques to dupe their victims.
“Our new protections for consumers and businesses announced today will help ensure we remain one step ahead by disrupting and blocking this criminal activity at source. Working closely with Government, other regulators, law enforcement and industry we are confident that our collective efforts will make a significant difference in thwarting these predatory fraudsters.”
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