Scammers Change Their Phone Numbers Every 2 Days – Why Traditional Scam Call Blocking Can’t Keep Up

Phone scams are no longer an occasional annoyance. For millions of people across the UK, they are a constant background threat. In 2024, phone fraud reached record levels, with estimates suggesting that around half of all landline calls were unwanted or fraudulent, and over 6 billion pounds was lost to scams carried out over the phone.

For many households, particularly those that rely on a landline, the phone has gone from being a lifeline to a source of stress. And while scam call blocking is often marketed as the answer, many people still find scam calls getting through far too often.

The reason is simple: scammers have evolved much faster than most call blocking technology.

Phone Scams Are Rising – And They’re Getting Smarter

Modern phone scams are highly organised operations. Criminals no longer rely on a single number for weeks or months at a time. Instead, they use cheap VoIP services, automated systems and number spoofing to operate at scale, switching tactics and phone numbers constantly.

This makes scams harder to track and harder to stop, especially when scam call blocking systems are slow to react. To understand just how quickly scammers move, Phonely analysed data from its number reporting site, “Who Called Me”, which captures scam and nuisance numbers reported by the public.

After analysing millions of Google searches for thousands of phone numbers, one clear pattern emerged.

New Data Shows Scam Phone Numbers Only Last 2 Days

On average, a scam phone number is active for just two days before scammers abandon it and move on to a new one.

This figure comes from analysing the time between the first and last reports of individual scam numbers. While some numbers disappear even faster, the overall average consistently comes out at just over two days. In practical terms, that means scammers are changing their phone numbers every 48 hours.

This single statistic explains why scam calls feel so relentless. As soon as a number starts getting flagged or blocked, scammers simply discard it and switch to another. From their perspective, phone numbers are disposable tools, not long-term assets.

The Problem With Traditional Call Blockers

Many traditional call blockers rely on static blocklists that are updated periodically, often once a month. These lists are usually compiled centrally, reviewed manually, and then pushed out to users on a fixed schedule.

That approach made sense when scam numbers stayed active for longer periods. Today, it creates a fundamental mismatch. If a scam number only exists for two days, but a blocklist updates every thirty days, scam call blocking becomes reactive rather than protective.

By the time a scam number appears on a monthly-updated list, the scam campaign has usually ended.

How Modern Scam Call Blocking Needs to Work

To be effective today, scam call blocking has to reflect how scams actually operate in the real world. That means using live reporting from real people, automatically adding new scam numbers to protection systems, and updating blocklists frequently enough to keep pace with scammer behaviour.

This is where modern, automatic call blocking differs from older approaches.

Phonely’s approach to scam call blocking is built around live data rather than static lists. Every phone number reported on the “Who Called Me” site is automatically added to Phonely’s blocklist.

That blocklist is updated hourly, meaning new scam numbers can be blocked for all Phonely customers on the same day they are reported. Instead of isolated protection, customers benefit from a shared, constantly updated service.

The Bottom Line: Monthly Updates Aren’t Enough Anymore

The data is clear. Scammers change phone numbers every two days. Many traditional call blockers update their lists once a month. That gap makes outdated scam call blocking systems no longer fit for purpose.

Effective protection today depends on speed, automation and real-world reporting. As long as scammers continue to move quickly, we have to move faster.