All Research Reports
Published 2026-07-08

The 2026 State of Anonymous Harassment in the UK

Based on an analysis of over 50,000 withheld calls intercepted on UK networks, this report uncovers the peak times, targeted demographics, and network vulnerabilities associated with anonymous harassment.

Executive Summary

Withheld numbers are increasingly being used not for privacy, but for targeted harassment. Our data indicates a 34% year-over-year increase in repeated "No Caller ID" harassment campaigns targeting individuals in the UK.

Key Findings

  • Peak Harassment Hours: 72% of all repeat withheld calls occur between 9:00 PM and 2:00 AM.
  • Network Distribution: The majority of anonymous calls originate from pay-as-you-go sim cards, predominantly on the O2 and EE networks.
  • Resolution Rate: Upon unmasking a private caller, 88% of users successfully stopped the harassment by blocking the exposed number or reporting it to authorities.

Methodology

This data was aggregated and anonymized from our internal routing servers, analyzing call patterns across 50,000+ unmasking requests in Q1 and Q2 of 2026.

Source: OppBlock Internal Data Analytics