The short answer
Register with the Telephone Preference Service, silence unknown callers, and report scam texts by forwarding to 7726, which is free.
- Register free with the Telephone Preference Service, which makes most unsolicited marketing calls unlawful.
- Turn on "silence unknown callers" on the phone, which sends anyone not in your contacts to voicemail.
- Forward scam texts to 7726, which is free on all UK networks and feeds into the blocking systems.
- Report scam calls to your provider, most of which have a reporting route.
- Never press a number to be removed, which simply confirms the line is live.
What will ruin it
Do not ring back a missed call from a number you do not recognise, particularly an international one. Premium rate callback scams rely on exactly that reflex.
Why it works
Blocking individual numbers is futile because they are spoofed and rotated constantly. Filtering by whether the caller is known to you is the only approach that scales.
Tipking is general household information, not professional advice. Test anything on a hidden patch first. Full disclaimer.
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