Scam calls and “Likely Scam” texts: what your network does and how to report

What does "Likely Scam" on a text mean?

Since 3 July 2025, texts from a sender name that is not on ComReg's SMS Sender ID Registry show "Likely Scam" instead of the name. ComReg says they "may be from legitimate businesses or organisations who have not yet registered", or real scams. Do not click links or call numbers in them; check the organisation's details separately.

ComReg admits some registered senders are wrongly labelled and says it is fixing this; new registrations can be labelled until every SMS provider activates them. The registry only covers names such as "234BANK", not ordinary mobile numbers, so a scam text from a phone number is not labelled. Blocking unregistered senders was due in October 2025 but is deferred: ComReg will "maintain the labelling intervention for now". On 8 October 2026 the registry held 22,044 sender IDs.

Businesses sending texts in Ireland must register their sender IDs with ComReg and check whether their SMS provider has extra steps.

How do you stop scam calls in Ireland?

Block the number on your phone and ask your provider to block it if it keeps calling. ComReg says providers already block suspicious numbers, but "some calls get through as it is difficult to quickly recognise scammers". Going ex-directory or joining the do-not-call register does not stop scams, and a genuine caller will leave a voicemail.

Networks have run four blocking measures since October 2024, which stopped over 131 million scam calls from February 2023 to October 2025. A fifth, a "Voice Firewall", was due in the first half of 2026; ComReg has published no launch notice, but Vodafone and Three now say they block calls and show "Possible Scam" warnings.

ComReg's advice: stop, check, avoid, and mark the number as spam, then block it. If you were scammed before, watch for "recovery" scammers who offer to get your money back for a fee.

What does each network do about scam calls?

Vodafone and Three say they block scam calls and warn you on suspicious ones. eir says scam calls from abroad "cannot be blocked". Virgin Media can bar calls to international and premium numbers. The other networks publish no scam protection of their own. ComReg says you can ask your provider to block a number that keeps calling.

If a Vodafone customer's own number is wrongly labelled "Possible Scam", Vodafone says to register it with its call-protection partner Hiya or call 1907, allowing up to 48 hours. Whether Vodafone's firewall also covers Clear Mobile, or Three's covers 48, is not stated.

Where do you report a scam call or text in Ireland?

To An Garda Síochána: your local Garda station or garda.ie. ComReg does not take scam reports itself. Take screenshots first. If you gave bank or card details, call your bank on the number on your card straight away. There is no national spam-text code like the UK's 7726; Vodafone customers can forward spam texts to 50005.

The CCPC also suggests blocking the sender and keeping every text, email and transaction record, because reporting helps build evidence even when money cannot be recovered.

What if someone calls pretending to be your network?

Hang up and call your network back on its official number, ideally after five minutes, as Three advises. The number shown can be faked, eir warns, and the caller may sound convincing. Three and Vodafone say never to share one-time codes, passwords or account details; eir says it never asks for personal or financial details by text.

FraudSMART, run by Ireland's banks, warns that fake operator texts are often followed by a call pretending to be the operator or your bank. Banks never ask for your PIN or full online banking password. Lycamobile's terms make you liable for charges on a misused SIM until you report it, so tell your network at once if your SIM stops working unexpectedly.

What can you do if your network bills you more than agreed?

Complain to your network first and keep the reference number, which it must give you on a durable medium. It has two working days to acknowledge and ten to respond. Then ComReg can take up complaints from the last 12 months. "Billed more than agreed" was the top mobile issue at eir, Three and Vodafone in mid-2026.

ComReg's figures for April to June 2026 count issues (queries and complaints) customers raised: billed more than agreed, 36 for eir (including GoMo), 19 for Vodafone (including Clear) and 11 for Three (including 48). Other brands are grouped as "Other". Each network's complaints line is on our customer service numbers page.