123 charges from calls I haven’t made

[amysheppard52]

I’m trying to get to the bottom of a problem I’ve got with call charges to 123 and other numbers that I haven’t made. 

these are substantial, happen all hours, and are happening even though we don’t have a working phone.

I’ve seen posts on here about this issue dating back to 2015, but no resolution. The BT engineer is also completely stumped.

the only thing that stops the calls happening is if I unplug the phone line from the wall, but clearly this is not a solution.

any help/ideas?

[Keith_Beddoe]

@amysheppard52 

You may have a crossed line.

Find a working phone and plug it into your phone socket. Dial 17070 and make sure that the number that is read out, matches your home phone number.

What do you unplug to stop the calls being made? Do you have anything else connected to your phone line?

If you have extension wiring, then an intermittent short circuit on the wiring can cause numbers to be dialled. Wiring running under carpets can get damaged, and this can cause short circuits.

If you never use your phone line, then disconnect any internal extensions, and see if the calls stop.

[amysheppard52]

Thanks for your reply. Definitely not a crossed wire. No one would dial the speaking clock 7 times a day every day…..well I don’t think they would! Engineer has checked all of that and definitely not an issue.

if I unplug from the wall - so we still have a line, but can’t use it - this stops the calls. Problem is that isn’t a long term solution and for some reason, my Sky TV then won’t let me watch things on demand.

From reading previous posts I know im not alone, so keen to find out how anyone else has resolved? BT are refunding, but surely this also is not a long term solution?

[Keith_Beddoe]

@amysheppard52 

You mentioned Sky TV, so you have the Sky box connected to the phone line? This is not needed any more and can be disconnected.

This is most likely causing the issue, or the wiring going to it. Its not unknown for the old phone circuitry in the Sky box to develop a fault. Check the phone wiring going to the Sky box for any damage. If the problem persists, ask Sky to change the Sky box.

I am assuming that you are a BT Broadband customer and not a Sky broadband customer?

[NeilO]

Hi @amysheppard52 can you confirm what you're unplugging from the phone socket to make the calls stop?

If you can make them stop by unplugging something, it suggests the calls are originating from something within your home.

Thanks

Neil

[amysheppard52]

Just checked all of the Sky lines out and not connected to the phone. So not that….back to the drawing board?! 

[amysheppard52]

Thanks Neil, they appear to stop when nothing is plugged in, however, the only thing that is plugged in is the phone. The phone however has been ‘off’, as in unplugged from the power so it isn’t charged and therefore doesn’t work. 
very strange.

Also no idea why this has started. Haven’t changed the phone or anything.

[Keith_Beddoe]

@amysheppard52 

Where is the BT Home Hub plugged in? I assume you have BT Broadband.

[rbz5416]

As @NeilO said, if unplugging the phone stops the calls then clearly it's either the phone or it's cable. It's possible that even with flat batteries there is just enough power in them for it to occasionally try to power up, which might be creating noise on the line. Try charging it & see if it stops.

But I'm puzzled as to why unplugging a non-working phone that you don't use isn't a solution?

[amysheppard52]

Thanks, I only recently turned the phone off - trying to save on electricity! The calls have been made since July, the august bill being the first time I became aware, so I don’t think it can be because of the phone. 

however I will get a new phone - one that doesn’t need power - and see if that makes any difference.

not having the option of a landline isn’t a solution long term as we have family who make calls to the landline.

When I searched the community chat forum for this issue I noted a number of similar threads dating back to 2015, but none of threads seem to conclude how the situation was resolved. I was hoping someone might have had this experience previously with a solution that could be shared.