The 555 story, and its UK and Australian cousins

Fake phone numbers: the official fictional ranges

Every number you hear in a movie, see in an ad or type into a demo should come from a range a regulator has reserved so it can never ring a real person. Here are those ranges, from the regulators' own publications.

Why these ranges exist

In 2003, after the film "Bruce Almighty" showed God's callback number on screen, people across North America with that number in their area code were flooded with calls. It was not the first incident: "Jenny's number" from the 1981 song 867-5309 still gets dialed daily, four decades on. The fix is structural: numbering regulators carve out blocks that look and validate like real numbers but are permanently excluded from assignment. Productions, advertisers, documentation writers and developers use those blocks, and nobody's phone rings at 3am.

United States & Canada (NANPA)

In every area code, 555-0100 through 555-0199 is reserved for fictional use. That is 100 numbers per area code, in more than 400 area codes.

RangeExampleReserved for
{area code} 555-01XX(212) 555-0142Film, TV, advertising, documentation

Other 555 numbers are not safe: parts of the 555 exchange are assignable, and 555-1212 is directory assistance. Stick to 01XX.

United Kingdom (Ofcom drama numbers)

Ofcom publishes a dedicated list of "telephone numbers for drama purposes" covering geographic, mobile, freephone and premium ranges - 1,000 numbers each.

RangeLooks likeKind
020 7946 0000-0999020 7946 0018London geographic
0113 496 0000-09990113 496 0102Leeds geographic
0141 496 0000-09990141 496 0555Glasgow geographic
0161 496 0000-09990161 496 0311Manchester geographic
028 9018 0000-0999028 9018 0424Belfast geographic
029 2018 0000-0999029 2018 0837Cardiff geographic
01632 960000-96099901632 960461Fictional area code (no real 01632 area exists)
07700 900000-90099907700 900123Mobile
08081 570000-57099908081 570192Freephone
0909 8790000-87909990909 8790021Premium rate
0306 9990000-99909990306 9990070UK-wide

Australia (ACMA fictional numbers)

RangeLooks likeKind
(02/03/07/08) 5550 0000-9999(02) 5550 1234Geographic, all mainland area codes
0491 570 100-1990491 570 156Mobile

For developers: what to put in fixtures and demos

  • Seed data and screenshots: use the ranges above for the country your UI shows. They pass validation (including ours), so they exercise the same code paths as real numbers.
  • Never invent numbers outside these ranges: a made-up 10-digit US number is usually someone's real line, and shipping it in an app or ad is how strangers get harassed.
  • Cleaning uploaded lists: the bulk validator flags any of these ranges automatically, so film-prop numbers and lorem-ipsum contacts don't pollute a real CRM.
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Ranges compiled from the regulators' public documentation: NANPA (North American Numbering Plan Administrator), Ofcom's drama number list, and the ACMA Telecommunications Numbering Plan. Details on About & Data Sources.

Frequently Asked Questions

Why do phone numbers in movies start with 555?

Because the North American numbering administrator (NANPA) reserves 555-0100 through 555-0199 in every area code for fictional use. Productions that used real-looking numbers caused real people to be flooded with calls, so regulators set aside ranges that are valid in shape but never assigned to a subscriber.

What phone number can I safely use in a mockup, demo or test?

Use a regulator-reserved fictional number: in the US or Canada any number of the form (XXX) 555-01XX, in the UK an Ofcom drama number such as 07700 900123 or 020 7946 0123, in Australia an ACMA fictional number such as (02) 5550 1234. They format and validate like real numbers but can never ring anyone.

Are fictional numbers technically valid?

Yes - that is the point. They match the country numbering plan exactly (length, prefix, pattern), so software accepts them, but the ranges are permanently excluded from assignment. Our validator flags them so a fictional number does not slip into a real contact list.