How do I stop phone calls from a debt collection agency who has the wrong number?
Posted by No_Application_8698@reddit | AskUK | View on Reddit | 59 comments
For a few months now we’ve been getting calls on our landline every day from a debt collection agency, but we know they have the wrong number.
How can we get them to stop, without giving them all our other details?
We’ve lived here for 15 years and before that it was my husband’s nan’s house. Her phone no. was left unused for too long so BT (at the time) took it away. When we moved in we were assigned a new number. Right away we started getting calls from a (different) debt collection agency for someone called Kate or something (not my name), always at random times, different display number each time.
After a while I changed the answer phone message to say ‘Hi, you’ve reached John and Jane Bloggs, leave a message’ to hopefully deter them.
The calls declined in frequency, then stopped after a couple of years.
Now, after a break of many years, it seems the debt has been sold on because these new people are relentless. Each time it’s a recorded message saying ‘this is a private call from xyz’.
I’ve never picked up the call, just left it to answer phone. I can’t block it because they use fake display numbers which sometimes look like a local number, sometimes a mobile no., sometimes a 0344 (?) number.
Their website has a contact us section but it requires you to put ALL your contact information in: full name, address, phone no., email etc.
We do not have any debts so I know they have the wrong number, but I also don’t want them to know where we live so I’m reluctant to give the info out. We have never received letters from any debt collectors because clearly it’s linked to the landline number only.
How can I stop it please? Had a day off today so hoped for a lie in but was jolted awake by a call at just past half 8. It made me panic because my dad’s been in poor health recently so I leapt out of bed, only to find it’s these villains once again.
Sorry for the long post, and I hope this is allowed!?
mhoulden@reddit
I don't see the part where you said you spoke to them and told them they have the wrong number. Write or email if you don't want to do that.
TraditionalBread_@reddit
Yeah because debt collectors are really going to simply take you off their calling list for saying you’re not who they’re looking for. You don’t think that’s the first thing people do when they’re in debt?
Strong_Access_8179@reddit
It worked for me when I was getting phone calls about someone else's debt.
ImmediatePiano6690@reddit
That's providing they're any good at their job, received a letter from debt collectors for British Gas wgo has been supplying a garage unit with electricity, despite the fact I've never had a property of any type and never started a utility bill.
To make it worse, they had already tried my mother before had, both of us have called and complained about it, even told them to go and contact the estate agent renting out the unit.
EVENTUALLY got an email essentially saying it was being reviewed in some manner, only for a new letter to arrive in the name of my mother again.
I really don't know how these deby companies function, but if there full extent os just sending out letters to random people and not actually investigating then they need a major fucking shake up, because I'm half expecting another letter one day.
Vequihellin@reddit
Ombudsman. I had endless problems with Barclays and Orange/EE chasing a previous owner of our property and they wouldn't give up. I eventually managed to get EE to give up but the Barclays debt collector was aggressive. Threatened me on my doorstep. Threated to take my car (which would have been theft). I complained to Barclays mutliple times and they kept filling in some form or other but nothing happened. So I got the ombudsman involved. Magically, they were able to sort it out and we've not had a problem since. I got £40 as an apology, too.
ImmediatePiano6690@reddit
That's the next step, even said it to mother who would be far more effective of a complaint than me as she'll give them a logical ear full, unlike me who just gets frustrated and agitated.
mhoulden@reddit
I got pestered by one when I was sorting out my dad's estate. For various reasons it took over a year to get a grant of letters of administration. I told an energy company to hang on until it was sorted out. Instead they passed the final bill on to a debt collector who sent letters with lots of pictures of flowers in their demands. Some minion rang me and offered a 10% discount if I paid within 30 days. I coldly told him that the estate was still awating probate, there wasn't enough money in it to pay his bill, and if they didn't go away I'd make a complaint under section 40 of the Administration of Justice Act 1970. I also told the energy company that I wanted to make a formal complaint and asked for a deadlock letter. A further complaint to the Energy Ombudsman finally got it sorted out.
For energy there was also the case of Ferguson vs British Gas Trading Ltd where someone sued them for harassment because a malfunctioning computer kept sending demands for payment.
UniquePotato@reddit
He mentions that they have a form but you have to full in all your details.
Debt collection companies make it very difficult for non-debtors to contact them
Redditboyy_@reddit
Maybe it's always the recorded voice and not the real person on the other side
Queasy-Inspector7077@reddit
If its who I think it is (the automated message sounds very similar) then I had a very similar problem which stopped the second I answered the call and told them in no uncertain terms that any further correspondence would be responded to with legal action for harassment
LemmysCodPiece@reddit
Cancel the landline. All I got on mine was sales, scammers, surveys and boomers. So I cancelled it.
KaleidoscopeFar7356@reddit
I had similar to this once. I was given a landline number that was a recycled one and the previous owners of the number had racked up debts. I tried speaking to the debt collection agency, spoke to a manager. The first thing they wanted from me was that I confirm my number…the number they’d just called me on which was also ex-directory.
I contacted my service provider and they gave me a new number, free of charge.
Think-Committee-4394@reddit
OP - one option though it’s a pain in the ass change your phone number
I_ALWAYS_UPVOTE_CATS@reddit
Could it be a scam? I feel like if a genuine debt had gone unpaid for this long they'd have sent bailiffs by now.
I assume you've answered the phone before and told them they've got the wrong number? Are you able to look up details of the agency? Write to them and demand that they correct their information under GDPR.
Brian_from_accounts@reddit
You may be able to find the debt collectors details here: https://register.fca.org.uk/s/
Paulcaterham@reddit
Is there a compelling reason that you have a landline at all?
Spanner1993@reddit
I dont get mobile signal/4g at home. Very isolated rural location.
You do get some funny looks buying a landline phone in 2025
TellMeManyStories@reddit
All modern phones can do wifi calling. You sometimes have to enable it in settings. Then your can do mobile calls from your home broadband.
Spanner1993@reddit
My power recently went off 5 days. Can't depend on WiFi either
TellMeManyStories@reddit
Generator? Solar? Battery backup? So many options if reliability matters to you.
Spanner1993@reddit
Oooooor... a landline...
Old copper cable has its own power source, backed up on the other end. Yes there are plans to remove it in the UK but where I live in rural Scotland only got mains power in the 1970s. Our copper isnt going anywhere soon, much of the area doesn't even have fibre optic infrastructure in place yet
A landline is the most straight forward solution at the moment.
No_Application_8698@reddit (OP)
We are very rural, no mobile signal on any network. We use WiFi calling but even that is unreliable for some reason.
Spanner1993@reddit
What source is your WiFi from? We're on old copper cable atm. The number of providers that have insisted on sending us out 5G routers after telling them it is not viable is insane. 5G routers dont work in the country
Flavourifshrrp@reddit
Depends on age I think.
A lot of older people that I know still have them.
Eukonidor_Of_Arisia@reddit
Record a message on your voicemail using a computer generated voice:
"Hello. This call will be charged at up to £3.60 per minute or up to £6 per call."
Followed by the most annoying, cloying hold music you can find for half an hour.
Eukonidor_Of_Arisia@reddit
Whoever downvoted this has no sense of humour and no fight in them.
imtiramisu2025@reddit
Id speak to them and explain whats happened and find out exactly which company it is. Record the call.
Then send a recorded signed for letter that says you will sue them for harrassment should they continue.
Its what I did when the HMRC were asking me to pay a relatives tax that had passed away. I wasnt the executor and also didnt inherit anything.
Never heard from them again.
terryjuicelawson@reddit
Pick up and tell them they have the wrong number and to update their records, have you not done this at all? They probably have all the numbers they need to contact in a big list that they go through on a cycle and it has remained as they haven't got any response.
No_Application_8698@reddit (OP)
I’ve never answered it because I didn’t want to inadvertently ’validate’ the phone number, if you see what I mean? It’s not a person on the end of the line, it’s an automated message that says to press 1 to confirm or whatever.
AccidentalSirens@reddit
If it is a recorded message that says press 1, I'm not sure that it's linked to the previous specific demands for 'Kate.' I still have a landline and we get recorded message calls frequently, telling us about a debt we haven't got, or claiming to be from 'your bank' 'alerting' you to a large payment from your account. They want you to panic and press 1 to tell them it isn't you, and then you are through to their scam centre as seen on TV where they get all your details so they can 'help' you to put your money in a safe place (their account). Only yesterday an American woman sent a recorded message telling me HMRC were about to get a warrant for my arrest.
terryjuicelawson@reddit
They don't seem to be going anywhere by not going through that process. You don't have to give them your real name or details, definitely don't pass over an address.
Which-World-6533@reddit
Why not just block the number...? Contact BT on how to do this.
Key-Seaworthiness227@reddit
Go to their website and find an email address. Provide the telephone number that they are calling and ask them to remove it from their systems. But honestly just speaking to them will be faster.
fourlegsfaster@reddit
I can block numbers on my landline.
Key-Seaworthiness227@reddit
Answering the phone to them isn’t doing that. You won’t pass DPA for the person that they are trying to reach but you do need to tell them that the telephone number is incorrect and ask them to remove it.
YOF626@reddit
People still have landlines?
Alarmed_Tiger5110@reddit
There were about 17 million of them as the last count, although I wonder howany will survive the transition to Fibre To The Premises.
Spanner1993@reddit
Ya
MrBfJohn@reddit
Have you added your phone number to the TPS register? It might not stop them all, but it will give you grounds to report them to Ofcom going forward. TPS Register Website
Kara_Zor_El19@reddit
When they call answer the phone.
Tell them they do not have the correct number for the debtor and that you have no connection to the debtor/don’t know who they are
chubbagrubb@reddit
Answer the phone and tell them they have the wrong number...
JohnLef@reddit
This should be the top answer. OP, why haven't you done this?
"Hello could I speak to Kate" "Nobody here by that name. Please remove this number from your system"
Obvious-Water569@reddit
You're under no obligation to identify yourself to them.
Tell them they have the wrong number and to note that on their records.
Plane-Painting-7878@reddit
You are probably being too cautious about giving absolutely zero information. You do not need to provide your address, email, or personal history, but simply confirming “wrong number” once may stop years of automated chasing. Right now the system likely treats silence as “possible contact still valid.” These agencies buy ancient incomplete datasets constantly, so unless someone explicitly invalidates the number, the calls can continue indefinitely through successive debt resales.
ImmediatePiano6690@reddit
Yeah, when I had one I called the company and had to start an account so they could then start the process to find someone else to pester over the debt.
ImportantMortgage1@reddit
Answer the phone and tell them they have the wrong number. This has happened to me before, they updated their records and calls stopped instantly after that.
BiscuitCrumbsInBed@reddit
I often get letters for the tenant who lived here before I bought the house so I just 'return to sender' all of the post. Except once I got a letter that had on the envelope that it was a bailiffs company and to ring them if I wasn't the right person to recieve the demands. So I did ring them, had to tell them when I purchased the property, gave all my contact details etc but I've not had anything since. I agree its not nice giving out your details but realistically most things can be found online so better to get it sorted than just ignore it.
tetlee@reddit
I got a new number that had debt collectors call. I answered the phone and told them it's not me. They stopped calling.
spectrumero@reddit
A couple of things that spring to mind:
(1) Get the phone number of your landline changed.
(2) Use your mobile for voice calls and remove the phone from your landline, or remove the ringer from the phone if you want to make outbound calls (I presume you need the landline because you still have copper internet).
If you need to take incoming landline calls then really your only option is (1) if you don't want to give your details to the debt collector.
George_Salt@reddit
Just tell them they have the wrong number and ignore them. Do not give them any infirmation about you, your address, etc. All they have is a wrong number.
We have this with my wife's mobile number, some scrote has given the wrong number when taking out a loan. She'll get text messages and phone calls for a month or so, then they give up. A few months later the debt gets sold on and another agency tries.
They're so amateur and careless with personal information that I now know the full name of the guy with the debt and roughly where he lives (within a 20 mile radius).
shredditorburnit@reddit
Get a new number?
ezzys18@reddit
Get rid of your landlines or change the number.
Proper_Emu_2296@reddit
Does anyone else actually call your landline? I just disconnected it in the end as it was only debt collection spammers and one elderly relative who used it and sadly the relative passed
lonehorizons@reddit
Yeah I haven’t needed a landline for years, and when my dad had one in recent years the only calls he got on it were scammers.
Boycott-all-Rats@reddit
Speak a lil Chinese for em
Quiet_surprise79@reddit
Contact the debt collection agency and the company they're acting on behalf of and ask them for the evidence that you owe them anything.
I had to do this after being chased for a period after I'd left a rented property. Once I asked both the debt collection and the energy company to prove that I was the intended recipient of the contact and I was the one that owed money, I never heard from them again.
FragileRunner@reddit
Would changing your number again be an option? Or would it be too much work telling everyone your new number?
Or just ditch the landline altogether? We did that because we got to the point where nobody ever called it because everyone uses some form of electronic communication nowadays and just use our mobiles.
Glum-Fly-5437@reddit
The important thing is not to accidentally validate yourself as the debtor by oversharing information. You do not need to “prove” who you are. The burden is on them to maintain accurate records. A simple statement that they are contacting the wrong number, combined with a complaint if they continue after notification, is usually enough to eventually stop automated chasing systems. The frustrating part is that these systems are designed around persistence because enough people eventually respond out of exhaustion.
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