DATA has shown the number of nuisance calls reported by residents in Wales since 2015, with those in Chepstow reporting nearly 10,000. 

Tech experts from Back Marketanalysed the number of nuisance call reports coming from 752 area codes in the UK, as reported on who-called.co.uk since 2015, to see which area codes received the most reports in Wales.

Cardiff took the top spot for the most nuisance calls in Wales. A total of 103,702 reports of calls like this were made, making up 18.24% of the 568,649 total Welsh reports. Chepstow ranked 18th with a total of 9,986 reports, accounting for 1.76% of the reports in Wales. 

A spokesperson at Back Market said: “Unwanted phone calls have become an all too common facet of modern life, with scammers and marketers regularly making outbound calls that many people would rather avoid. These are so common that many people feel apprehensive when they see an unknown phone number, especially if it is a landline.

“To help others with this problem, people log numbers that make nuisance calls on sites such as who-called.co.uk. We wanted to see which area codes were being targeted most often as the base of operations for unwanted callers, finding London’s 020 area code had the most reports in the UK, and Cardiff’s 029 area code the most in Wales.”

The tech experts also analysed the reports and read the comments. It suggested rhe largest number of nuisance callers are scammers impersonating trusted institutions like banks, Amazon, and internet providers. Banks were the most frequent institution scammers impersonated, with 587 out of 1,168 reports (50%).

Back Market advises if you are suspicious of a call out of the blue discussing transactions or account details, never feel bad for hanging up. There is often a telephone number on the back of your debit card which you can call for advice. You can also block the callers on your mobile or add them to a do-not-call list for landlines. Third-party apps can help filter spam calls, as can some landline handsets.