BT and other UK landline and mobile providers. Dial 141 before a number to stop your own number being shown to the person you are calling. We verified this against the operator's own published information on 13 August 2026; the sources are linked on this page.

I got a text from a short code I do not recognise – what should I do?

Do not tap any link in it and do not reply unless you are certain who the sender is. If it is marketing from a company you know, replying STOP to the short code shown in the message opts you out free. If it is unsolicited, forward it to 7726 free of charge and delete it - replying to an unknown sender only confirms your number is live.

141 – Who Runs It, What It Costs & Is It Safe?

Q: Is 141 free?

Free. BT confirms both 141 and 1470 are free of charge.

Q: Is 141 a scam number?

No. Withholding a number is not the same as spoofing one. Withholding hides your caller ID; spoofing displays a different, usually stolen, number, and is what fraudsters do. Many people now refuse withheld calls entirely, so expect fewer answers.

Short code: 141
Type: Short dial code
Operated by: BT and other UK landline and mobile providers
Cost: Free
Category: Landline network codes
Verified: 13 August 2026

What 141 is for

141 withholds your caller ID for that single call. It works from landlines and most mobiles. You can also ask your provider to withhold your number permanently on every call.

A withheld number cannot be retrieved by the recipient with 1471 - they just hear that the caller withheld it.

Withholding does not hide you from the emergency services, and it does not work on 999.

What it costs

Free. BT confirms both 141 and 1470 are free of charge.

Call 141 — how it works

Dial 141, then the full number, with no pause.
To go the other way and release a permanently withheld number for one call, dial 1470 first.

Is 141 safe, and is it spoofed?

Withholding a number is not the same as spoofing one. Withholding hides your caller ID; spoofing displays a different, usually stolen, number, and is what fraudsters do. Many people now refuse withheld calls entirely, so expect fewer answers.

If a text or call is trying to rush you, threaten you, or get a password, one-time code or payment out of you, it is a scam whatever number it shows. Read our guide to the UK number ranges scammers use and how to spot a smishing text, and forward anything suspicious free to 7726.

Where this came from

We do not guess short codes. Every entry in this directory was checked against the organisation that runs the code, or against gov.uk or the regulator:

Checked against these sources on 13 August 2026. Short codes and their charges do change — if the operator’s page now says something different, believe the operator.

Checking an ordinary number instead

Short codes are not in Ofcom’s numbering data — only full UK numbers are. If it is a normal 01, 02, 03, 07, 08 or 09 number you want to identify, put it into the phone number checker and you will get its type, its area and the provider Ofcom allocated the range to.

Other UK short codes

1471 · Find out the last number that called 1470 · Release your number for one call 1571 · BT landline voicemail 7726 · Report spam texts and scam calls 60599 · Report a suspicious HMRC text message 61016 · British Transport Police non-emergency reporting

All verified UK short codes › · UK area codes › · UK network operators ›

141 — Withhold your number for one call