Ofcom opens investigation into the cost of 070 calls

An investigation into the soaring costs of certain telephone service numbers has been launched by Ofcom.

Ofcom plans to examine 070 numbers, which enable calls to be diverted from one phone number to another, so that the person being called can keep their own number private, and remain contactable wherever they go.

Small businesses and sole traders often use them to make it easier to manage calls.

However, Ofcom said it was concerned they could be confused with mobile phone numbers, which also start ’07’.

“Ofcom is concerned about evidence of scams designed to make consumers believe they are calling a mobile number,” it said.

“When people call the 070 number back, they are actually dialling a service costing up to £3.40 a minute.”

Neil McManus, MD at GHM Communications says: “There is no need for businesses to use 070 telephone numbers for their business telephone systems. Our latest systems include call forwarding and multi device handling as standard so employees can accept landline calls from either their desk phone or smartphone without the caller knowing the difference. We appreciate that most small businesses need to work smarter with remote workers but they still need the professionalism and ease of calling for their customers.

“If any businesses are using an 070 number and are looking to change we are more than happy to offer free advice. Mobile, local and national calls are also free for our customers so there are greater savings to be had by switching.”