A foreign number is calling me: what to do and how to block it

Your phone rings and the screen shows a number starting with a code you don't recognise: +44, +216, +1, +234, +62... You have no family or work in that country and you're not expecting any call from abroad. The question comes instantly: do I answer, call back, or ignore it? The short answer is that answering costs you nothing, but calling back can, and most of these calls are after one of three things: getting you to call them, confirming that your line is active, or drawing you into a conversation with a scammer. Here's how to tell them apart and what to do in each case.

Why am I getting calls from abroad if I don't know anyone there?

It's almost never personal. Your number is on lists that are bought, leaked or generated by trying random combinations, and automated systems dial thousands of numbers at once. These calls usually follow one of these patterns:

• A missed call designed to make you call back (wangiri). It rings once and hangs up. If you return the call, you connect to a premium-rate or expensive international number, and part of what you pay ends up with whoever ran the campaign.
• Checking for active numbers. Silent calls, or calls that hang up as soon as you answer. They mark your number as "live" so it can be resold on other lists.
• Scams with someone on the line. On the other end is a person or a recording pretending to be your bank, a delivery company, tech support, an investment adviser or a recruiter with a job offer that's too good to be true.
• Spoofed numbers. The number on your screen may not be the real one. Using spoofing techniques, a caller can display almost any number, foreign or local. The dialling code doesn't tell you for certain where the call comes from or who is making it.

There are, of course, legitimate calls from abroad too: a company with a call centre in another country, a relative travelling, a service that uses international switchboards. So the key isn't the code itself, but whether you were expecting the call and what they ask you for.

Does it cost money to answer an international call?

If you're in Spain, receiving a call on your mobile is free, whatever country it comes from: the caller pays. You're not charged for leaving it unanswered either. The same applies when you're travelling in another European Union country thanks to "roam like at home". Outside the EU, however, receiving calls while roaming can cost money depending on your plan. Elsewhere, check your own operator's terms, but in most countries incoming calls on your home network are free.

The real financial risk is in calling back or dialling a number they read out to you. Some international ranges carry very high rates: satellite networks, special international services, or numbers in countries with high termination charges. A common trick is to use codes that look domestic or North American: +1, for example, isn't just the United States and Canada; several Caribbean countries share it too, and a call to those destinations can cost far more than you'd expect.

What are the warning signs?

• One ring and they hang up, or repeated missed calls at odd hours, such as the middle of the night.
• A code from a country you have no connection with.
• Silence when you answer, or an automated message asking you to press a key or "call back on this number".
• Urgency and pressure: "your account will be blocked", "you have a parcel on hold", "final notice".
• Requests for details or codes: passwords, PINs, card numbers, the code you just received by SMS.
• They ask you to install an app or visit a website to "verify" something.
• Job or investment offers you never looked for, often followed by a WhatsApp or Telegram message.

Any single one of these signs is reason enough to hang up. Several at once all but confirm it.

What should I do right now?

1. Don't return the missed call. If it was important, they'll call again or leave a message. No serious company works by ringing once and hanging up.
2. If you answer and weren't expecting the call, don't give any information. Not your full name, ID number, bank details or codes. Don't press keys a recording asks you to.
3. Hang up and check for yourself. If they claim to be your bank, a company or a government body, hang up and call the official number on their website, your card or your contracts yourself. Never the number they give you during the call.
4. Look up the number before doing anything. Check the spam number directory to see whether others have already reported it, and use our dialling code guide to see which country it belongs to.
5. Block the number from your phone's call log.
6. Report it so the next person who sees it on their screen knows what they're dealing with.

How do I block calls from abroad?

There's no universal button to block an entire country, but you can combine several layers:

1. Block specific numbers. On iPhone and Android you can block any number from your call history. It's useful, although campaigns change numbers frequently.
2. Silence unknown callers. iPhone lets you silence calls from numbers that aren't in your contacts, and many Android phones include a spam filter or an option to block unknown numbers in the Phone app settings. Silenced calls still appear in your log, so you don't miss anything important.
3. Restrictions from your operator. Most operators let you bar outgoing calls to international or premium-rate numbers. If you never call abroad, switch it on: that way, even if someone at home returns a suspicious call, no charge will be generated. Ask your operator's customer service.
4. A caller ID app. NoCall shows you whether an incoming number has been reported by other users before you answer, which helps you decide in seconds.

Since June 2025, operators in Spain have been required to block calls from abroad that display a Spanish number (except Spanish mobiles roaming abroad), and some other countries have similar rules. But no filter is perfect: scammers still call from foreign numbers, real or spoofed, so the habit of not returning unknown calls is still your best protection.

What if I already called back or gave my details?

It depends on what happened:

• You returned the call. Hang up as soon as you're suspicious. Check the duration and cost in your customer account, and call your operator to ask about the charge and switch on international call barring. If you're charged something you shouldn't be, complain to your operator in writing and keep the complaint reference.
• You gave bank details or a code. Immediately call your bank's official number (the one on your card or in your app) to block cards and transactions. Change the passwords for your online banking and email, and turn on two-step verification. There's more detail in how to recover money from a phone scam.
• You installed an app they asked for. Disconnect your phone from the internet, uninstall the app and, if it had remote control or access to your banking, contact your bank and get help (in Spain, from INCIBE's 017 line; elsewhere, from your national cybersecurity agency).

In every case, keep screenshots of the call log, the number and any messages: they're evidence.

Where do I report it?

• INCIBE, phone 017 (in Spain): a free, confidential cybersecurity helpline. They'll advise you on what to do and how to protect yourself. INCIBE's OSI website (Internet User Security Office) collects alerts about active campaigns. Elsewhere, contact your national cybersecurity agency or consumer fraud reporting service.
• Policía Nacional (091) or Guardia Civil (062) in Spain: if you've lost money or your details have been used, file a report with all your screenshots and receipts. Elsewhere, go to your national or local police.
• 112: only for a genuine emergency, such as a threat to your safety. It works across the EU.
• Your bank, always through its official number, if there are transactions you don't recognise.

Frequently asked questions

Can they steal money just because I answered? No. Answering a call while in Spain costs nothing and gives no access to your account. The danger lies in what you do next: calling back, giving details, pressing keys or installing something.

Why do they always call from the same country? Because campaigns are organised in waves and reuse the same number ranges for days or weeks. If you see the same code repeating, it's an active campaign, not a coincidence.

What if the number shown is local but the caller talks about another country? It may be a spoofed number. The number on screen doesn't guarantee where the call comes from. Apply the same rule: hang up and check through an official channel.

Is blocking the whole code a good idea? If you have no connection with that country, it can be, although most phones don't support it natively. The most effective and simplest measure is to ask your operator to bar outgoing international and premium-rate calls.

In short

An unexpected call from a foreign number isn't a reason to panic, but it is a reason to be careful: don't call back, don't give details, hang up and check for yourself, block and report. Answering is free; calling back may not be. If a suspicious international number has called you, look it up and report it in the NoCall spam number directory: your report helps stop other people from falling for it.