Am I being targeted?

[Anonymous]

I noticed a missed call today and returned it as I mistook it for a call I was waiting for.  While It was ringing I looked again at the number and thought it might be a call centre so hung up.

Since then there have been 11 calls - this evening, similar codes +223, +224, 247.  I have looked the codes up,

Mali, Guinea, Ascension Islands.  I have blocked the numbers.  I checked my O2 and see I was charged £1.60 (ish) for the first returned call.  Any idea what this is?  Am I being targeted?  The phone doesn't seem to ring so they come up as missed calls.

[MI5]

Calling an international number will cost you, hence the charge.
Unfortunately, once scammers know the number is live, they sell it on to other scammers to make money, so you'll just have to keep blocking numbers and ignore the dodgy looking ones until they give up.

[Cleoriff · Accepted solution]

@AnonymousCommunity guide here https://community.o2.co.uk/t5/Pay-Monthly/Are-you-fed-up-with-spam-calls-and-texts-Follow-these-steps-to/m-p/386364#M37293

[MI5]

Check your marketing settings in your MyO2 too @Anonymous

[Anonymous]

The exact same thing is happening to me today!

I rarely receive spam calls so this is doing my head in

Have been blocking all the numbers, but obviously they are calling randomly from different numbers so feels a bit like I am just playing whack a mole!

Oh well. Doesn't seem like much else can be done about it.