- Suspicious
- Scam
- Uncertain
- Spam
- Unknown
02 8898 0116 (0288980116): 6 reports describe callers requesting personal details about friends and family members, claiming false connections and relationships.
Personal Information Requests from 02 8898 0116
Six contributors have reported suspicious calls from 02 8898 0116 (also written as 0288980116), with a clear pattern of callers attempting to extract personal details about other people. The calls share a common thread: callers claim to need contact information or details about friends, family members, or people with matching surnames, using various pretexts to justify the requests.
Two reports specifically mention callers requesting personal information, while one contributor flagged an impersonation attempt where the caller claimed a connection to family members. The NSW-based number appears designed to elicit information about third parties rather than directly targeting the person called.
What Callers from 02 8898 0116 Claim
Contributors report distinctly different pretexts, all centred on locating or reconnecting with other people. One caller identified himself as 'William' and claimed to have obtained the recipient's number from family and friends of someone he was trying to reconnect with. This same caller then texted a request for the target person to call a landline number.
Another report describes a caller who mentioned a personal family scenario, claiming to be calling about the recipient's youngest son helping their older brother, while simultaneously requesting the recipient's personal details. A separate contributor received a call from someone wanting to share a phone number with another person who shared the same surname.
Callers from 0288980116 have also asked recipients to have relatives return their calls on landline numbers, a tactic that may be designed to establish contact with additional people or verify household composition.
Report Patterns and Timing
The six reports span nearly two years, from August 2023 to November 2025, suggesting ongoing activity from this number. All reported calls were answered calls, indicating the recipients picked up rather than screening the caller. Reports arrived across different seasons and times of day, with no obvious clustering pattern.
One report came through in the early morning hours (01:18 AM), while another arrived during evening hours (20:22), and others during late night periods. The spread of reports over time and lack of frequent re-reporting from individual contributors suggests the number may cycle through different targets rather than harassing a single person repeatedly.
What to Do If You Receive a Call from 02 8898 0116
If 02 8898 0116 calls you, be cautious about any request for personal information about yourself or others.
- Do not: Provide names, phone numbers, addresses, or other identifying details about friends, family members, or colleagues
- Do not: Confirm whether someone lives at your address or works in your area
- Do not: Agree to pass messages or have relatives call back unknown numbers
- Do not: Assume a caller's claimed connection to mutual contacts is genuine
- Do: Hang up if the caller cannot explain their identity and purpose clearly
- Do: Ask the caller to provide a callback number and independently verify it through official channels if they claim to represent an organisation
- Do: Block the number if calls persist
- Do: Tell callers you don't share contact details for other people
Why This Pattern Is Concerning
Personal information requests from unknown numbers are a recognised precursor to targeted scams. Callers who successfully extract details about other people may use that information to impersonate contacts, target vulnerable individuals, or gather intelligence for relationship-based fraud schemes. The fact that some calls from 02 8898 0116 explicitly mentioned family relationships and attempted impersonation increases the risk profile.
Contributors who received calls from 0288980116 appear to have been approached as intermediaries rather than direct targets, which may make the calls harder to recognise as suspicious. The requests seem casual on the surface ('I'm trying to reconnect with someone'), but the underlying goal of extracting contact details remains consistent.
How to Report 02 8898 0116
If you receive unwanted calls from 02 8898 0116 asking for personal information, you can report the number to Australian regulatory authorities:
- ACMA (Australian Communications and Media Authority): lodgeacomplaint.acma.gov.au - report unwanted calls and contact details requests
- Scamwatch: scamwatch.gov.au - if you believe the call was part of a scam attempt
- ReportCyber: cyber.gov.au - if personal data appears to have been compromised or misused
- Do Not Call Register: donotcall.gov.au - register your number to opt out of telemarketing calls (though this won't stop scammers)
You can also contribute your own report about 02 8898 0116 on Reverseau to help other Australians identify this number's activity.
Help others by sharing your experience with (02) 8898 0116!
WRITE A REVIEWRatings Distribution
What Our Users Reviewed
Called me at work but seems off
Asked for a contact number for my friend, requested their details
Guy named William called saying he needed to reconnect with someone, said he got my number from their family and friends, texted a landline number asking them to call back
Called asking me to share their details, claimed to be calling about my youngest son helping my older brother
Caller wanted me to have a relative return their call on a landline, believe it's spam
Caller wanted to share phone number with someone who has same last name as me
Help others by sharing your experience with (02) 8898 0116!
WRITE A REVIEWFrequently Asked Questions
Why would someone call asking for details about my friends or family?
Reports about 02 8898 0116 suggest callers are gathering personal information that may be used for targeted scams, impersonation, or identity-related fraud. By claiming a connection to someone, callers lower their targets' guard and extract contact details they can use to approach other people. One contributor reported a caller claiming a family relationship before requesting personal details, which matches tactics used in relationship-based scams.
Is 02 8898 0116 definitely a scam or could it be legitimate?
While one report explicitly flagged impersonation and scam tactics from 0288980116, others describe suspicious rather than definitively fraudulent behaviour. However, the consistent pattern of callers requesting personal information about other people is not typical of legitimate organisations. Most genuine businesses already have the contact details they need and don't cold-call asking for details about third parties.
A caller from 02 8898 0116 said they knew my family. Should I trust that?
No. One contributor reported that a caller claiming to be 'William' said he obtained the number from family and friends, which turned out to be a false claim. Contributors have reported this as a pretextual approach. Legitimate acquaintances typically reach out through direct channels they already know, not by calling strangers asking for third-party details.
What should I do if 0288980116 asks me to have someone call them back?
Do not pass on the message or encourage anyone to call back 02 8898 0116. Reports indicate callers have texted landline numbers or requested callbacks on unfamiliar numbers, which may be an attempt to establish contact with additional people or verify who lives in your household. Tell the caller you don't pass on contact details or messages to others.
Could 02 8898 0116 be calling to reconnect me with someone I know?
Unlikely. If someone genuinely wanted to reconnect you with a mutual contact, they would either contact you directly through a known method or have your mutual contact reach out to you themselves. The pattern of calls from 0288980116 shows callers claiming vague connections and making requests rather than offering specific information about someone you both know. This is a common tactic to gain trust quickly.
I accidentally shared some details with a caller from 0288980116. What should I do now?
If you provided personal details about yourself or someone else to 02 8898 0116, monitor your contact with that information for suspicious activity. If you shared a third party's details, consider warning them that their information may have been obtained by an unknown caller. You should report the call to ACMA at lodgeacomplaint.acma.gov.au and to Scamwatch at scamwatch.gov.au so authorities can track the number's activity.