Quick answer
A number starting + or 00 plus a country code is an international call. +44 is the UK (so +44 7 is a UK mobile, not foreign). +353 is Ireland and is often genuine. Most other unexpected foreign missed calls are automated call-back scams: do not ring them back. You cannot get the caller's name from the code; you can identify the country and decide whether you were expecting anyone there.
How to read a foreign number
The giveaway is the format: a + followed by a country code, or 00 then the same code. The country code tells you which numbering plan the call is presenting, not who is holding the handset - and not always even where the call physically came from, because caller ID can be spoofed.
| Code | Country / region | Dedicated guide |
|---|---|---|
| +1 | USA, Canada, and parts of the Caribbean | Who called me from a +1 number |
| +33 | France | Who called me from a +33 number |
| +34 | Spain | Who called me from a +34 number |
| +39 | Italy | Who called me from a +39 number |
| +44 | United Kingdom | Who called me from a +44 7 mobile |
| +49 | Germany | Who called me from a +49 number |
| +91 | India | Who called me from a +91 number |
| +92 | Pakistan | Who called me from a +92 number |
| +234 | Nigeria (+233 Ghana in the same guide) | Who called me from a +234 number |
| +353 | Republic of Ireland | Who called me from a +353 number |
Other codes you may see, without a dedicated page yet:
| Code | Country |
|---|---|
| +7 | Russia / Kazakhstan (easy to confuse with a UK 07 mobile - it is not) |
| +20 | Egypt |
| +27 | South Africa |
| +30 | Greece |
| +31 | Netherlands |
| +32 | Belgium |
| +40 | Romania |
| +48 | Poland |
| +61 | Australia |
| +63 | Philippines |
| +90 | Turkey |
| +351 | Portugal |
| +371 | Latvia |
| +380 | Ukraine |
| +971 | United Arab Emirates |
If your code is not in either table, search "country code" plus the digits after the + (or 00). The ITU list is the authoritative source; Wikipedia's country-calling-code page is a usable first look. Then apply the same rule: unexpected missed call, do not ring back.
Remember that +44 is the UK's own code, so a +44 7 number is just a UK mobile in international format, not a foreign call. A +353 call is from the Republic of Ireland and is often genuine. For anything else, the free phone number checker is built for UK numbers; the useful first step on a foreign code is recognising the country and reading the matching guide above.
How international call-back scams work
The mechanics are simple and entirely automated. Scammers use computers to dial huge lists of UK numbers from overseas, letting each ring once or twice before hanging up. The hope is that curiosity or worry will make some people call back. When you do, you may be connected to an expensive international or premium-rate line, kept on hold or fed a recorded message, while the scammer earns a share of the call revenue.
This is the international cousin of the one-ring "Wangiri" scam (Wangiri is Japanese for "one ring and cut"). The same logic drives 09 premium-rate call-back scams within the UK - the profit is entirely in getting you to dial.
Ofcom has published consumer warnings on international missed-call and one-ring scams for years, and in 2024 it set out rules that make it harder for calls from abroad to present a UK landline caller ID. That is why a foreign-looking + code on your screen is, if anything, more honest than a 0161 number that was actually originated overseas. Action Fraud and Which? give the same advice: do not return the call.
The big red flag: a "UK" caller from abroad
One pattern deserves special attention. If you get a call claiming to be from a UK bank, HMRC, a delivery company or a government department, but the number is clearly international, that mismatch is a strong sign of fraud. Genuine UK organisations call from UK numbers. Scammers operating overseas sometimes forget to disguise this, or rely on you not noticing.
A realistic example:
A recorded voice says it's "from HMRC" and warns of legal action unless you press 1 - but the number on your screen starts with an unfamiliar foreign code. No UK tax authority operates that way. It's a scam; hang up.
What ringing back costs
International callbacks are almost never in your UK inclusive minutes. Rates vary wildly by destination and network.
EE's published standard pay-monthly rates, checked 8 September 2026 on its Call Abroad country pages, are a useful illustration: 25p a minute to Ireland and France, and £4.64 a minute to the USA, India, Pakistan and Nigeria. A two-minute callback to +234 on that tariff is more than nine pounds. O2, Vodafone and Three publish their own guides - check yours before you dial. A one-ring scam that connects you to a premium or unusual international route can cost more than the standard country rate.
What to do with an international call you don't recognise
- Don't call back. If you genuinely know someone abroad, you'll recognise their number or be expecting contact. An unexpected foreign missed call is best left alone.
- Don't press buttons on a recorded international call, and don't follow "press 1" instructions.
- Identify the country from the table above, then search the full number online for reports.
- Block it - see how to block unwanted calls - and ask your provider whether they can bar premium and international call-backs if you're worried.
- Report it to Action Fraud and forward details to 7726.
When it might be genuine
Not every international call is a scam. Friends or family travelling abroad, an overseas supplier, a holiday booking, or a UK mobile roaming overseas can all show up with a + prefix. Diaspora communities (Irish, Polish, Indian, Pakistani, Nigerian, French, Spanish) generate a lot of perfectly ordinary + calls into the UK. The deciding factors are whether you were expecting contact and whether the caller leaves a sensible voicemail. If in doubt, let it go to voicemail and verify before calling back.
The bottom line
An unexpected international missed call is almost always an automated scam built around one goal: getting you to call back an expensive line. Identify the country from the table, read the dedicated guide if we have one, and leave the number alone unless you were expecting that call. Be especially wary of any "UK" organisation calling from a foreign number - that mismatch alone is enough reason to hang up.
Frequently asked questions
Why did I get a missed call from an international number?
Most likely an automated call-back scam: scammers dial huge lists of UK numbers from abroad, ring once, and hang up, hoping you'll call back an expensive international or premium line. It's rarely a real person trying to reach you.
Should I call back an international number I don't recognise?
No. If you genuinely know someone abroad you'll recognise the number or expect the call. An unexpected foreign missed call is best ignored, because calling back is exactly what the scam is designed to make you do, and it can be costly.
Is +44 an international scam code?
No - +44 is the UK's own dialling code, so +44 7... is just a UK mobile written in international format. It's only genuinely "international" if the call routed from abroad; the number itself is British.
A foreign number claimed to be my UK bank - is that real?
Almost certainly not. Genuine UK banks and government bodies call from UK numbers. A "UK organisation" calling from an international number is a strong sign of fraud - hang up and, if needed, call the organisation back on a trusted UK number (159 for banks).
Why am I suddenly getting calls from foreign countries?
Usually a list your number has been sold onto, or a one-ring campaign hitting a block of UK mobiles. It does not mean anyone you know is in trouble. Block the numbers, turn on your phone's silence-unknown-callers setting, and ask your network about international-call barring if it keeps happening.