Press 1 scam calls: what happens if you pressed 1

A recorded voice, often a woman's, says your credit card has been compromised and tells you to press 1 to speak to someone. It does not mention which bank or which card. Some people hang up at once; others press 1 in a moment of worry and then wonder what they have set in motion.

What is the "press 1" scam call?

It is a robocall: an automated message sent to large numbers of phones at once. The recording exists to alarm you into pressing a key. Pressing 1 puts you through to a live caller, who then poses as your bank's fraud team or a government department, depending on the script.

Fraudsters like robocalls because a computer can dial a vast number of phones and only pass on the people who respond. Pressing 1 is, in effect, putting your hand up. Everyone who hangs up costs them nothing, and everyone who presses through has already shown they are worried.

The London number 02077230741 has 32 comments on UnwantedNumbers, and they read almost identically. Users describe a recorded message saying a credit card had been compromised, giving no name for the person being called and no card or bank, followed by an instruction to press 1. A bank that really has spotted fraud knows who you are and which card it means. Caller ID can be faked, so the line on screen may belong to someone with no link to these calls.

What happens if you press 1 on a scam call?

Pressing 1 does not, on its own, take money from your account or install anything on your phone. What it does is tell the people running the calls that a real person answered, and connect you to whoever is waiting at the other end.

That person's job is to get something out of you. The usual targets are your card number, the three-digit security code, a one-time passcode sent by text, or your online banking login. Some callers go further and claim your money is at risk and must be moved to a "safe account", which they control. Others ask you to install an app so they can "help", which gives them remote access to your device.

One commenter on 02077230741 wrote that they pressed 1 out of anxiety and asked what would happen now. If you did the same and ended the call without handing over any details, you have not lost anything. Your number may attract further calls in the coming weeks, so let callers you don't recognise go to voicemail.

Do HMRC call you with automated messages?

HMRC says that automated calls telling you a lawsuit has been filed against you, and asking you to press 1, are scams. HMRC does sometimes phone people, but a recorded threat of legal action is not how it gets in touch. If a recorded voice mentions HMRC, tax or legal action and wants you to press a key, hang up.

HMRC asks people to forward suspicious texts claiming to be from it to 60599, and phishing emails to phishing@hmrc.gov.uk. To check whether you really owe anything, sign in to your HMRC online account yourself, without using any link or number from the message.

Fake bank calls: how 159 helps

If a call about your bank leaves you uneasy, hang up and dial 159. The service connects you to banks that together cover more than 99% of UK current accounts, and the point is that you place the call yourself to a number no scammer controls. Stop Scams UK explains how it works at stopscamsuk.org.uk/159.

After hanging up on a suspicious caller, use a different phone if you have one, or wait a few minutes before dialling out on a landline. Your bank will not ask you to move money to a safe account, read out a one-time passcode or download software so it can see your screen.

I pressed 1 and gave details. What now?

1. Call your bank straight away on 159 or the phone number printed on your card. Tell them exactly what you shared, whether that was the card number, security code, a passcode or your login.
2. Ask the bank to stop the card and go through recent transactions with you. If you moved money, say so at the start of the call, as acting quickly gives the bank the best chance of stopping the payment.
3. If you installed an app at the caller's request, uninstall it, run a security check and change your banking passwords from another device.
4. If you read out a one-time passcode, tell the bank which one and roughly when, because a passcode can be used to approve a payment or add a new device to your account.
5. Report it to Report Fraud, which replaced Action Fraud on 4 December 2025, via reportfraud.police.uk or by calling 0300 123 2040. If you live in Scotland, the number to ring is Police Scotland's 101.
6. Be suspicious of later calls from people claiming to be police officers or bank staff who can get your money back. Treat them exactly as you would the first call.

Blocking robocalls on your phone

Blocking 02077230741 helps a little, but robocall operations switch numbers often. Some calls arrive with no usable number at all, such as the string of zeros listed on UnwantedNumbers as +000000000.

On an iPhone, go to the Recents list in the Phone app, tap the small "i" next to the number and select Block this Caller. On Android, tap and hold the entry in your call history and choose the block option; Google's Phone app can also screen likely spam calls automatically if you switch on caller ID and spam protection in its settings.

You can also text the caller's number free to 7726 so the networks can investigate. Check any other unfamiliar number on UnwantedNumbers before deciding whether it deserves a call back. For readers in the US, the Federal Trade Commission takes reports of robocalls like these at reportfraud.ftc.gov.