Sipgate/Ofcom - Spoof Calls

Will the recent announcement by Ofcom requiring phone companies to block spoofed calls apply to Sipgate or not ? eg is VOIP excluded or because they aren't UK based ?

There should be no carve out just because they are headquartered in Düsseldorf (from memory!). In any event they are the ones to ask if it’s really bothering you.

I used to get more fake and spam calls on my mobile than I ever did in the decade+ I have had Sipgate numbers though. Including ported in ones.

mikegg

It will apply to any operators using UK numbers (+44 abcdefghij) they obtain these from OFCOM and have to obey OFCOM rules as part of the contract.

If you are using numbers from a different regulatory sphere their rules will apply. These may already be stricter than the UK's at present or non-existent.

In reply to a post by kitcat:

mikegg

It will apply to any operators using UK numbers (+44 abcdefghij) they obtain these from OFCOM and have to obey OFCOM rules as part of the contract.

Thanks - good to know they are obliged to follow the same rules - hopefully might see an impact soon .....

I'm going to miss the calls from "Wirgin Media Technical Department" warning me about the "hackers on (my) internet line" Of course I'm always very helpful with their questions and never mention that the line isn't even on VM...

As a Mac owner, it was the calls from "Microsoft Technical Support" that amused me. Not that I have had one for many a year - call that is.

This thread at ISPreview recently about PAC fraud, also brought up this issue of number spoofing.

Sipgate still allow you the ability to change the CID number via the user portal, to literally any number you want. So strictly for research purposes 😅, I set mine to several well known outbound contact centres and then called my mobile. Hey presto I was being called by the number in question.

Not great really.

I got lucky, when I got my phone number, this was a few years back, it was from a residential supplier, the phone number block was protected then changed to a free block shortly after the allocation changed to a business operator so think it tends to be avoided as its primarily been used for businesses rather than residential.

Not sure how I ended up with it but, i've never had any spam calls, or if I have its like one a year.

I know Sipgate use Magrathea Telecommunications in my local area at least, I would imagine they do so for all UK customers but this might not be the case.

In reply to a post by Pheasant:

Sipgate still allow you the ability to change the CID number via the user portal, to literally any number you want.

I have to say this makes me think much less of Sipgate!

The cheap, pile them high, reseller VOIP provider I use doesn't even allow you to do this!

You can enter any number you want but they phone the number with an automated PIN before allowing it to be selected. If you do not enter the PIN you can't use it as a caller id number.

Surely if the regulator was serious about reducing spoofed numbers Sipgate (or any other company) should be told to get their act in order or they should have their ability to "use" UK numbers rescinded.

Let me guess the regulator is more interested in making the service more expensive for the public by allowing ISPs etc to print money and increase costs by £3/month each year. Who in their right minds believed when they said they would intervene with the inflation related increase we would seemingly end up on an even worse system than we had!