I have just enquired at Ofcom. It appears that 0490 numbers are allocated as an international routed call, ie via India, so that Ofcom have no jurisdiction in stopping the caller making unsolicited calls to UK residents. Ofcom, BT & Virgin have no idea how much it would cost you to return a call to one of these numbers. Maybe, as I previously said, it could be cost free as a reverse charge call. I am surprised that no one in the UK telecoms industry has the knowledge to answer my question.

Hi Maxstream,

I quite agree that one should not return unsolicited calls and I never do. I always report them to TPS or Ofcom, depending on the type of call. I know this call was from a home insulation company. The call was a taped message and the caller invited me to press 2 if I was interested. I ignored it and dialled 1471. The calling number was 04901252670222 and is listed on the "whoisit" blogs. Basically, I am curious to know what the call charges are as the calling code is now in use. I will ask Ofcom.

erikbloodaxe:

Does anyone know how much a call costs when returning an unsolicited call from an 0491 caller?.

I've not been able to find a rate either which probably means that the call cost will be unexpectedly high. The issue to be aware of is that there are a lot of dodgy organisations that will abuse the fact that a lot of people return missed calls to let the victim pay for a phone call to scam more money. If you google the full number, you might find more information but it's best not to return these calls at all (unless you recognise the number or have an idea what it might be about). I keep getting calls from someone who, according to other victims, pretends to be the solicitor of a stranger. Other calls will be offering to reclaim PPI and/or write off your debts. If it's anything important, they'll call again and let you answer and speak without you returning the call.

Currently, 0490 numbers are listed as 'for future use'. Neither BT or Virgin Media have call charges listed for them.

Does anyone know how much a call costs when returning an unsolicited call from an 0490 caller?. I suspect it could be a reverse charge call but I am only guessing.