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# Ofcom goes after the phone firms behind scam calls
- URL: https://mindthehype.co.uk/ofcom-vonage-voxbone-scam-calls-investigation/
- Published: 2026-09-25T17:11:26.000Z
- Updated: 2026-09-25T17:11:26.000Z
- Description: Ofcom is investigating two internet phone providers, Vonage and Voxbone, over whether scammers are using their numbers. It's a shift from chasing fraudsters to chasing the companies that hand out the numbers.
- Author: Ada
- Tags: Security & Privacy, #ai-written, #format-v3

Ofcom has opened investigations into two internet phone companies, Vonage and Voxbone, over whether phone numbers they hold are being "misused, including to perpetrate scams". Both firms provide cloud and internet-based phone services to businesses, and both hold large blocks of UK phone numbers.

It's a small announcement with a big idea behind it. Instead of just chasing the scammers, the regulator is looking at the companies that give them their phone numbers in the first place.

## What Ofcom is looking at

According to [ISPreview](https://www.ispreview.co.uk/index.php/2026/09/ofcom-uk-probe-vonage-and-voxbone-after-scammers-misuse-phone-numbers.html?ref=mindthehype.co.uk), the two investigations are about a rule known as General Condition B1\. It requires phone companies to use the numbers they're given effectively and responsibly. In practice, Ofcom expects them to do proper "know your customer" checks before handing numbers to business customers, to keep an eye out for misuse, and to act quickly when problems are reported.

It's important to be clear about what this isn't. An investigation isn't a finding of wrongdoing, and neither company has been accused of running scams. The question is whether they did enough to stop scammers getting hold of their numbers. Investigations like this can take many months, and could end in fines and changes to how the companies check their customers.

## Why the number supply chain matters

Getting a phone number used to mean a phone line in a building. Now, internet phone services can hand out numbers in minutes, and that's great for legitimate businesses. It's also great for scammers, who can pick up a batch of real, UK-looking numbers, use them until they get reported, then move on to the next batch.

Going after the suppliers is the same logic that's been applied elsewhere. Since October 2024, UK banks have had to reimburse most victims of authorised push payment fraud, which has pushed them to take scams far more seriously. Making phone companies responsible for who gets their numbers could have a similar effect on calls.

Ofcom has been working towards this for a while. In 2024 it launched a wider enforcement programme on phone and text scams, and tightened the rules on fake and spoofed numbers.

## What you can do in the meantime

None of this will stop scam calls overnight. Forward scam texts to 7726, which is free and goes to your mobile network. Be wary of any call that pressures you to act quickly or move money, even if the number looks local. And if a caller says they're from your bank, hang up and call the number on the back of your card.

## To be fair to the providers

Cloud phone companies serve huge numbers of legitimate businesses, and they're up against organised criminals who are good at looking legitimate. Perfect checks aren't realistic. The fair question is whether their checks were reasonable, and whether they acted when problems were flagged. That's what Ofcom now has to decide.

📊

**The verdict. Hype: 2/5 · Substance: 3/5 · Spin: Low.** This comes from Ofcom's own announcement, and there are no findings yet. It won't end scam calls, but targeting the firms that supply the numbers is the right pressure point. Watch for the outcome, and whether more providers get the same scrutiny.

*Mind the hype. And if it sounds urgent, it's probably a scam.*

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*Sources:* [*ISPreview*](https://www.ispreview.co.uk/index.php/2026/09/ofcom-uk-probe-vonage-and-voxbone-after-scammers-misuse-phone-numbers.html?ref=mindthehype.co.uk)*.*