Prefix (08) 8021

Caller Type: Unknown

### Analysis of the Phone Number: https://www.aucaller.com/0880217516 **(08) 8021 7516** or **+61 8 8021 7516** This is an **Australian landline number** assigned to the **Central and West region**, specifically the geographical area around **Broken Hill, New South Wales** (a remote mining town). The "(08)" prefix covers South Australia, Western Australia, and the Northern Territory, but this specific exchange points to far-western NSW. #### What the aucaller.com page shows (as of November 19, 2025): - Searches: 10 - Reports: 1 (marked **Unsafe**) - Votes: 1 Unsafe, 0 Safe - Only one user comment (Cindy H): "This is an annoying repeat caller who doesn’t leave a message. We don’t bother with numbers we don’t recognise." - No specific tags (e.g., scam, telemarketer, debt collector), no additional comments, no carrier listed. #### Red flags and areas for serious improvement/caution (marked in **red**): 1. **~~Extremely low report volume~~** Only **one** negative report and 10 searches total. This is **way too little data** to draw any reliable conclusion. Compare to real scam numbers that often have dozens or hundreds of reports within days. **Improvement needed: Do NOT trust or distrust based on this page alone** — it’s essentially meaningless with a single complaint. 2. **~~Appears to be a legitimate Australian geographic landline~~** The number is correctly allocated to Broken Hill (population ~17,000). It is **not** a mobile, VoIP, or premium-rate scam-friendly type. Scammers rarely use real traceable landlines in remote towns because they’re expensive and easy to shut down/report to police. 3. **~~The single complaint is classic silent/spam behavior, but also matches everyday scenarios~~** Repeated calls with no message is annoying, but it could be: - A wrong number - A local business doing poor cold-calling - A debt collector or charity - A low-effort scammer spoofing a real landline (common in Australia) ? **Improvement: This alone does NOT make it a confirmed scam**. Millions of legitimate callers don’t leave messages. 4. **~~No corroborating evidence anywhere else~~** Deep searches across scam databases (Reverse Australia, ShouldIAnswer, Truecaller, Whirlpool forums, Reddit, Google, etc.) turn up **zero** additional complaints or mentions of this exact number. If it were an active scam campaign, there would normally be multiple reports by now. 5. **~~Broken Hill is a favorite spoofing area for some scammers~~** Scammers sometimes spoof (08) numbers from remote towns because Australians are more likely to answer “local-looking” calls. However, in this case the number appears **genuine** (not obviously spoofed in reports). #### Verdict: - **Currently NOT identifiable as a scam** based on available data. - At worst: low-level spam / nuisance caller. - At best: a real person or small local business dialing wrong numbers or doing lazy marketing. - **Do NOT ignore it entirely** — block if it keeps ringing and never leaves a message — but there is **no evidence** this is part of any known fraud, ATO scam, Microsoft refund scam, etc. **How to improve your own safety with unknown Australian callers (any number):** - Let unknown numbers go to voicemail (legitimate callers leave messages). - Use a call-blocking app (e.g., Truecaller, Mr Number, or built-in phone features). - Never return calls to suspicious numbers — Google them first. - If it escalates or claims to be from a bank/government, hang up and call back on an official number from their real website. In short: **Nothing on that aucaller page justifies panic**. One annoyed person does not equal a scam. Treat as generic spam until proven otherwise.

Caller Type: Unknown

This is an annoying repeat caller who doesn’t leave a message. We don’t bother with numbers we don’t recognise.