The short version
You pick up the home phone, say hello and hear nothing. Or you hear a click and a recorded voice telling you a company tried to reach you. These are silent calls and abandoned calls. Ofcom, the UK communications regulator, says most of them are not necessarily deliberate: they usually come from automated dialling systems in call centres, not from someone sitting quietly on the line.
That doesn't make them acceptable. Repeated silent and abandoned calls can count as "persistent misuse" of the phone network, and the company behind them can be fined. This guide covers why they happen, what Ofcom expects of callers, how to identify the caller and where to report. Scam calls and general call blocking have their own guide: how to spot, report and block broadband scams and nuisance calls. Rules and provider features were checked in October 2026.
What silent and abandoned calls are
Ofcom uses two terms, and the difference matters when you report:
- A silent call is one where you hear nothing when you answer and have no way of knowing whether anyone is at the other end.
- An abandoned call is cut off by the caller's system when you answer. Instead of a person, you hear a recorded information message from the organisation that was trying to call you.
Ofcom acknowledges that these calls can be particularly frightening for some people, for example those living alone. An electronic voice reading out a message may be something else: a text sent to your landline (see the FAQs).
Why silent calls happen
Ofcom explains that many call centres use automated diallers: software that rings numbers and connects an agent only once someone answers. If no agent is free, the system drops the call.
Ofcom's persistent misuse policy says silent calls usually come from automated calling systems over-dialling, and can also be caused by answer-machine detection or an agent hanging up:
- Over-dialling. The system rings more numbers than there are agents to take the answered calls.
- Answer-machine detection (AMD) getting it wrong. AMD is software that tries to tell whether a person or an answering machine has picked up. If it wrongly decides you're a machine, it cuts the call and you hear nothing.
- An agent hanging up once the call has connected.
Providers agree. TalkTalk puts silent and abandoned calls down to call centres using automatic diallers when no operator is free. Sky says call-centre "power diallers" keep redialling, which can lead to repeated, short silent calls. Virgin Media says a silent call usually, but not always, means you're on a marketing database being dialled automatically.
What the rules say: Ofcom's persistent misuse policy
The legal basis is section 128 of the Communications Act 2003. It lets Ofcom formally notify anyone it has reasonable grounds to believe has persistently misused a phone network or service. In the Act, misuse means using the network in a way whose effect, or likely effect, is to cause someone unnecessary annoyance, inconvenience or anxiety. It is persistent when it's repeated often enough to show a pattern of behaviour.
Ofcom explains how it uses that power in a policy statement on persistent misuse, published on 20 December 2016 and applied from 1 March 2017. That 2016 policy says action against silent calls is likely to be its highest priority, describing them as the most common and most complained-about of the unwanted calls that only Ofcom deals with, with persistent abandoned calls also a priority. Blaming the dialling software isn't an excuse: silent calls count as misuse wherever the cause is within the caller's control.
Where enforcement stands now
Comms Council UK reported on 26 January 2023 that Ofcom had closed its dedicated enforcement programme on silent and abandoned calls a week earlier. The powers themselves haven't gone: section 130 of the Act still sets the maximum penalty at £2 million, and Ofcom's consumer guidance, as captured in December 2025, still says it may take enforcement action against someone who repeatedly makes silent or abandoned calls, including a fine of up to £2 million.
The 2016 policy names the number of complaints as one of the things Ofcom weighs when deciding whether to act, so a report backed by a clear log is still worth making.
What makes a case more serious
The 2016 policy says Ofcom is more likely to act the more calls a company makes, the more complaints it gets and the more serious the harm, and where there's evidence of deliberate non-compliance. It lists these aggravating factors:
- calling the same number again within 72 hours of a silent or abandoned call without making sure a live agent will be there;
- calling at unsociable hours;
- withholding the caller's number, which Ofcom calls particularly aggravating for silent calls;
- letting the phone ring for less than 15 seconds before giving up, or for very long periods;
- starting the recorded information message more than two seconds after you answer.
Where diallers or answer-machine detection are used, the policy says Ofcom is likely to ask the company for details of its systems, detailed call records and evidence of how accurate the AMD is. It may also look at a company's abandoned call rate: abandoned calls as a share of the calls that reached a live person. Your log can show what you can see: repeats within three days, late calls and very brief ringing.
What a properly made abandoned call should sound like
The policy sets out what the recorded message on an abandoned call should contain. It should:
- say who the call was for (the organisation on whose behalf it was made);
- explain that they tried to call you;
- give a basic-rate number you can ring to stop further calls;
- contain no marketing.
Ofcom's consumer guidance adds that diallers should show a caller ID number you can get by dialling 1471. Under the policy, withholding the number on marketing calls, or showing a number that is invalid, not genuine or can't be called back, is itself a misuse of caller ID.
A message with no company name, no opt-out number or a sales pitch is worth noting in your log. Unsure what an opt-out number costs to ring? See our guide to home phone call charges.
How to trace a silent caller
Straight after the call:
- Dial 1471. Ofcom says it tells you the number of the last person who called, unless they withheld it, so use it immediately afterwards.
- Check your phone's screen. With Caller Display the number shows before you answer; BT says its Caller Display is free, and Sky switches it on automatically with Sky Talk. Ofcom warns that a displayed number may be spoofed (faked), so treat it as a lead rather than proof.
- Listen to the end of any recorded message. On an abandoned call the organisation's name and opt-out number are the most useful facts you'll get. Write them down, and use the opt-out number: under Ofcom's policy, that's what it's there for.
- Tell a company you know to stop. If the caller is an organisation you once agreed could call you, the ICO, the data protection regulator, says registering with the TPS later won't stop it; contact the organisation directly. If it's your own provider, see contacting your broadband provider.
- Keep a log. Ofcom asks for the caller's name and number, how many times the same number called and over what period. BT asks for the date, time and number when you report abusive calls.
A simple call log
A notebook by the phone is enough. One line per call, with columns like these:
Column | What to write | Why it helps |
|---|---|---|
Date and time | When the phone rang | Shows repeats within 72 hours and calls at unsociable hours |
Number | From the screen or 1471, or "withheld" | Lets Ofcom or your provider identify the caller; a withheld number on a silent call is an aggravating factor |
What you heard | Silence, a click, a recorded message (note the company name and opt-out number) | Separates silent from abandoned calls and shows whether the message follows the rules |
How long it rang | Roughly, if you noticed | Very short ringing is another aggravating factor |
An invented example of a useful line: "Tuesday, 7.40pm, 1471 gave a mobile number, silence then a click, rang only briefly". A fortnight of lines like that beats "I keep getting silent calls".
When the number is withheld
A withheld number doesn't end the trail. Under regulation 15 of the Privacy and Electronic Communications Regulations 2003 (PECR, the UK rules on phone and electronic privacy), a phone provider may override a caller's number withholding when the person receiving the calls has asked for malicious or nuisance calls to be traced and the provider is satisfied that's necessary. The provider may also keep the caller's details found that way and make them available to someone with a legitimate interest.
Ask your provider's nuisance calls team (Ofcom says most phone companies have one) and offer your log. Our guide to landline number privacy explains how withholding, 1471 and Caller Display work together.
Where to report silent, abandoned and other unwanted calls
The ICO (formally the Information Commission since 30 September 2026, though it still goes by the ICO name) is clear that complaints about silent or abandoned calls go to Ofcom, and Citizens Advice says the same.
What happened | Who to tell |
|---|---|
Silent call, or a call cut off with a recorded information message | Ofcom: phone 0300 123 3333, the online complaint form on Ofcom's website, or post to Ofcom, Riverside House, 2a Southwark Bridge Road, London, SE1 9HA |
Live sales or marketing call from a real person you haven't agreed to hear from, or a pre-recorded marketing message | The ICO, through its online reporting tool |
Live sales calls still arriving 28 days after you registered with the TPS | The Telephone Preference Service, which passes complaints to the ICO |
A scam call | The ICO says complaints about fraud and scams go to Report Fraud or Police Scotland |
Abusive, threatening or obscene calls | The police: 999 if you believe a threat is genuine, otherwise 101 (Virgin Media's advice) |
You can't work out who's calling | Your phone provider: Ofcom says most have a nuisance calls team |
When you report to Ofcom, give the caller's name and number, how many times the same number has called you and over what period. BT's complaints page routes nuisance-call complaints through the Which? nuisance calls tool, which passes them to Ofcom or the ICO.
The ICO says its nuisance-calls guidance is under review because of changes made by the Data (Use and Access) Act, so check its page before you report. If a call turns out to be a scam, our scam calls and emails guide covers what to do next.
When silent calls feel targeted or malicious
Most silent calls come from machines, but some don't. If the calls come at night, carry on for weeks or feel personal, treat them differently. Under section 127 of the Communications Act 2003 it's a criminal offence to send menacing or grossly offensive messages over the phone network, or to use it persistently to cause annoyance, inconvenience or needless anxiety. The maximum penalty on summary conviction is six months' imprisonment, a fine, or both.
BT, Sky, TalkTalk and Virgin Media all point to the police for abusive or threatening calls, and Virgin Media says the police liaise with its teams. Sky says contact it if you feel harassed. If you're with BT, its Nuisance Calls Bureau looks into malicious calls as well as spoofed and scam calls; ring 0800 411422 on weekdays between 8.30am and 5pm.
Keep your call log going, and ask your provider about tracing (see When the number is withheld above). If the calls carry on and the number is already known to the wrong people, our landline number privacy guide covers going ex-directory, withholding your own number and when a new number makes sense.
Does the Telephone Preference Service stop silent calls?
Only partly. The Telephone Preference Service (TPS) is the UK's only official "Do Not Call" register, free for landlines and mobiles, and sales callers must screen their lists against it.
BT suggests registering with the TPS to help stop silent calls, since many come from call centres. But the TPS itself says it only covers live unsolicited sales and marketing calls, and that it can't prevent recorded or automated messages, silent calls, market research, overseas companies, debt collection, scam calls or nuisance and abusive calls. So it may cut some marketing calls, but it isn't a fix for silent calls.
Register your landline online at tpsonline.org.uk or by phone on 0345 070 0707; texting "TPS" and your email address to 85095 registers only the mobile you text from, not your home phone. If live sales calls carry on 28 days after you register, you can report them to the TPS. Registration is free, and the TPS warns that companies charging to stop calls may be fraudulent.
Blocking: what helps with silent calls
Our scam calls guide covers call protection in general. For silent calls, two points matter.
Anonymous call rejection (refusing calls from withheld numbers) only reaches part of the problem. Ofcom expects companies using diallers to show a caller ID number, and calls withholding it are the ones it calls particularly aggravating. In our reading, that makes rejection most useful against callers who hide their number, and less relevant to diallers that show one; for those, blocking a specific number or the last caller is the closer fit. Ofcom also warns that anonymous call rejection may block the police, hospitals and utility companies, which sometimes withhold their numbers.
Call-blocker phones and units need Caller Display to work, Ofcom says.
Provider features that suit silent calls
From each provider's help pages, checked October 2026; features and charges can change.
- BT: BT Call Protect comes with Digital Voice and Home Phone Standard at no extra cost, working with Hiya to flag and block suspected spam. BT says Digital Voice customers can manage it in My BT, on the handset or by dialling 1572, while Home Phone Standard customers are asked to call BT. See BT broadband deals.
- Sky: Sky Talk Shield, free with Sky Broadband and Sky Talk, lets you add the last caller to a block list, which suits a number that keeps ringing and hanging up, and block anonymous callers. That block is part of Talk Shield and is separate from the Anonymous Caller Reject that Sky's call features page lists as a chargeable extra for Sky Line Rental customers. See Sky broadband deals.
- Virgin Media: its nuisance-calls page offers Caller Display and lists Anonymous Caller Rejection as a chargeable feature, but its digital voice switchover page says Anonymous Caller Rejection comes at no extra cost once your line has moved to digital voice through the Hub (see Virgin Media's Digital Voice switchover). See Virgin Media broadband deals.
- TalkTalk: if you have a TalkTalk phone line, its help pages describe Anonymous Caller Reject, Last Caller Barring and CallSafe, a paid feature that screens each caller and asks unknown callers to record their name.
Before you switch any of this on. TalkTalk advises adding care or security alarm providers to CallSafe's approved list, and the same caution applies to any blocker: check that a telecare alarm's monitoring centre, your GP and the hospital can still get through. The ICO adds that if you or a relative is particularly vulnerable, for example living with dementia, it's worth asking the phone provider about call-blocking support, and says many of these services are free.
Questions to ask your provider
If silent calls are a problem, ring your provider on a number you've found yourself and ask:
- Do you have a nuisance calls team, and how do I reach it?
- Will you look into repeated silent calls to my number, including ones from a withheld number, if I give you my log?
- Can I block the last caller, and how many numbers can I block?
- Will anonymous call rejection or call screening block my GP, the hospital or a care alarm, and can I add numbers to an allowed list?
Changing provider? Ask a new one the same questions before you sign up. You can compare broadband and phone bundles or compare deals at your postcode, and the broadband providers hub links to each provider's page. The comparison comes from a partner's tool, so put your call-feature questions to the provider itself before ordering.
Silent calls FAQs
Are silent calls someone checking whether I'm at home?
Ofcom says most silent and abandoned calls are not necessarily deliberate and come from call-centre diallers. That doesn't mean every call is innocent. If the calls feel personal, come at night or seem targeted, keep a log, tell your provider's nuisance calls team, and contact the police if you feel threatened.
Should I report silent calls to Ofcom or the ICO?
Ofcom. The ICO itself says complaints about silent or abandoned calls go to Ofcom, and Citizens Advice agrees. You can phone Ofcom on 0300 123 3333, use its online complaint form or write to it. The ICO deals with live and recorded marketing calls.
Will registering with the TPS stop silent calls?
Not reliably. BT suggests registering because many silent calls come from call centres, and sales callers must screen their lists against the TPS. But the TPS says it only covers live sales calls and can't prevent silent or automated calls. Registration is free; report silent calls to Ofcom whether you're registered or not.
Can Ofcom fine a company that makes silent calls?
Yes. The Communications Act sets the maximum penalty for persistent misuse at £2 million. Ofcom's 2016 policy said action against silent calls was likely to be its highest priority. It closed its dedicated enforcement programme in January 2023, but its consumer guidance still says it may take action, and complaint numbers are one thing it weighs.
How do I find out who made a silent call?
Dial 1471 straight after the call to hear the last caller's number, unless they withheld it. Caller Display shows the number before you answer, though Ofcom warns it can be spoofed. On an abandoned call, the recorded message should name the organisation and give an opt-out number. If you still can't identify the caller, contact your phone provider.
What should I do if silent calls feel threatening?
Contact the police: Virgin Media advises 999 if you believe a threat is genuine and 101 otherwise. Keep a log of each call's date, time and number, which BT asks for too. Persistently using the phone network to cause needless anxiety can be a criminal offence, and your provider can be asked to trace calls even from a withheld number.
Is a robotic voice reading out a message a silent or abandoned call?
Often it's neither. BT explains that if someone sends a text to your home phone number and your phone can't display texts, an electronic voice reads the message out as a text call. BT says you can stop these by calling 0800 587 5252 from the home phone receiving them.
