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Leaving a Shared Broadband or Mobile Account Safely
If you are in immediate danger, call 999
If you cannot speak, call 999 from a mobile, listen for the automated message, and press 55 when prompted. That tells the operator it is a genuine emergency and transfers you to police. Pressing 55 does not reveal your location, and a silent call on its own does not guarantee that police will be sent, so answer any yes or no questions if you safely can, including by tapping the handset. From a landline the 55 system is not used, but landline calls do provide your location automatically.
Before you read on
If someone else has access to your devices or your accounts, they may be able to see what you have looked at. You may want to read this on a device the other person cannot access, such as one belonging to a friend, or at a library. Private or incognito browsing helps, but it does not hide activity from monitoring software installed on a device.
About the exit button at the bottom of this screen. It takes you straight to a weather page, and it also stops the back button bringing you back here. What it cannot do is remove this page's address from your browser's history list or its address bar suggestions, because no website is able to do that. Only private browsing, which stops those being saved in the first place, or clearing your history afterwards, will deal with that.
Refuge's technology safety service and Women's Aid both publish detailed guidance on covering your tracks online.
This page explains what a shared telecoms account means in practice, what the account holder can see, and what UK providers can and cannot do. It is information about how accounts work. It is not a safety plan, and it is not a substitute for talking to someone who does this for a living. The organisations listed further down do that, free, and most of them are open right now.
The honest position on your rights
Direct answer: in the UK, a telecoms account cannot be moved out of someone else's name without their permission. There is no legal right that overrides this, and you should know that before you spend energy on it.
Ofcom is explicit that it is not possible to transfer an account taken out by someone else into your name without their permission, because providers can only take instructions from the named account holder. That holds even if you have been the one paying, and even if the service is at your home.
A gap worth naming
In the United States, the Safe Connections Act gives survivors a legal right to separate their phone line from an abuser's account, keeping their number, without needing that person's approval. There is no equivalent right in UK law. UK survivors rely instead on individual provider policies and Ofcom's general requirement that providers treat vulnerable customers fairly. We think that gap is worth closing, and we say so here because you deserve an accurate picture rather than a hopeful one.
What that means in practice is that your realistic options are usually a new service in your own name, a new number, or a negotiated transfer if that is safe to attempt. A specialist adviser can help you weigh which of those fits your situation, and in what order.
What the account holder can see
Direct answer: more than most people assume, and itemised bills are the main one.
Ofcom confirms that an account holder has access to information such as itemised bills, showing the numbers of the people and organisations that have been called. Depending on the setup, an account holder may also be able to see online account portals, manage or view devices on a family plan, and access router settings.
Freephone numbers do not appear on itemised bills
Calls to numbers starting 0808 and 0800 are free from UK landlines and mobiles, and they do not show up on itemised bills. Every helpline listed on this page uses one. Note that a call may still appear in the recent calls list on the handset itself, which is separate from the bill and can be cleared.
Before you change anything
Changing things suddenly can increase risk
Specialist organisations consistently advise that suddenly changing a password, removing an app, disabling location sharing or taking a device offline can alert the other person and may escalate the situation. It can also destroy evidence. Wherever you can, speak to a specialist adviser first and plan the order things happen in. Refuge runs a dedicated technology safety service for exactly this kind of question.
That advice can feel counter-intuitive, because the instinct is to shut everything down at once. But the people who staff these services deal with this every day, and they will help you think about sequencing, timing and what to have in place first. There is no charge, and you do not have to have decided anything.
Talking to your provider
Direct answer: ask for the vulnerable customer team by name rather than going through ordinary customer service.
Ofcom requires all UK providers to have policies for treating vulnerable customers fairly, and most have a specialist team that is considerably better trained than a general call centre. Some providers publish specific support for people experiencing domestic or economic abuse, which may include removing a named contact from an account, changing contact details and passwords, or arranging a number change.
What is available varies by provider, so it is worth asking directly what they can do rather than assuming. You do not have to explain more than you want to. The phrase "I'm in a vulnerable situation and I'd like to speak to your specialist team" is enough to open the conversation.
Where to get specialist help
These are free. All the numbers below are 0808 or 0800 freephone numbers that do not appear on itemised bills.
| Who | Contact | When |
|---|---|---|
| National Domestic Abuse Helpline England, run by Refuge | 0808 2000 247 | 24 hours a day, every day. Online chat and BSL also available. |
| Scotland's Domestic Abuse and Forced Marriage Helpline | 0800 027 1234 | 24 hours a day. Text and WhatsApp on 07401 288595. |
| Live Fear Free Wales | 0808 80 10 800 | 24 hours a day. Text 07860 077333. English and Welsh. |
| Domestic and Sexual Abuse Helpline Northern Ireland | 0808 802 1414 | 24 hours a day, every day. |
| Men's Advice Line for men experiencing abuse | 0808 801 0327 | Monday to Friday, 10am to 5pm. Webchat 9am to 10am. |
| Galop for LGBT+ people | 0800 999 5428 | Mon and Tue 9.15am to 8pm, Wed to Fri 9.15am to 4.30pm, closed 1pm to 2pm daily. |
| Karma Nirvana honour-based abuse and forced marriage | 0800 5999 247 | Monday to Friday, 9am to 5pm. |
| Surviving Economic Abuse Financial Support Line | 0808 196 8845 | Weekday daytime hours. Check survivingeconomicabuse.org for current times. |
| Hourglass abuse of older people | 0808 808 8141 | Check wearehourglass.org for current hours. Free text 07860 052906. |
| Women's Aid England | Live Chat at womensaid.org.uk | Mon to Fri 10am to 4pm, Sat and Sun 10am to noon. No telephone helpline. |
| Police | 999 emergency 101 non-emergency | 24 hours. From a mobile, press 55 if you cannot speak. |
Two other things that exist
Bright Sky is a free app from the charity Hestia offering support and information, available for iOS and Android and as a web version, in English, Welsh, Polish, Punjabi and Urdu.
Safe Spaces lets you use a private room to make a call or seek help, in over 6,000 pharmacies, banks and building societies across the UK. You can find your nearest through the UK Says No More website.
If money is being controlled
Economic abuse, including controlling access to phones, broadband and the accounts they sit on, is recognised in the statutory definition of domestic abuse in England and Wales under the Domestic Abuse Act 2021. Controlling or coercive behaviour is a criminal offence under section 76 of the Serious Crime Act 2015, and since 2023 that offence also applies to people who no longer live together. Scotland and Northern Ireland have their own equivalent legislation.
If an account or a contract has been taken out in your name without your consent, Action Fraud takes reports on 0300 123 2040, or online at actionfraud.police.uk. In Scotland, report to Police Scotland on 101. Cifas Protective Registration can add a flag to your credit file to make it harder for further applications to be made in your name, at a cost of £30 for two years, applied for online.
Two other things on this site that may help
- Our online safety hub covers router settings, device controls and home network checks. It is written for parents, but the sections on who can see what on a home network apply here too.
- If money is tight, social tariffs are cheaper broadband packages based on qualifying benefits. Moving to one carries no exit fee at participating providers, and eligibility is confirmed electronically rather than by producing paperwork.
Frequently asked questions
Can I take my mobile number off someone else's account without their permission?
Not in the UK. Ofcom states that it is not possible to transfer a telecoms account taken out by someone else into your name without their permission, because providers can only take instructions from the named account holder. In the United States a law called the Safe Connections Act gives survivors a right to separate their line without the account holder's approval, but there is no equivalent right in UK law. A specialist adviser can help you think through the alternatives.
Can the account holder see who I have called?
Yes. Ofcom confirms that the account holder has access to information such as itemised bills showing the phone numbers of people or organisations you have called. However, calls to freephone numbers starting 0808 and 0800 are free and do not appear on itemised bills, which is why UK support helplines use those numbers.
Will calling a helpline show up on the phone bill?
Calls to 0808 and 0800 freephone numbers are free from UK landlines and mobiles and do not appear on itemised bills. The main domestic abuse helplines across the UK all use 0808 numbers for this reason. A call may still appear in a phone's own recent-calls list on the handset, which is separate from the bill.
Is it safe to change my passwords or remove a tracking app?
Not always, and this is important. Specialist organisations advise that suddenly changing passwords, removing an app or disabling location sharing can alert the other person and may increase risk. It is generally safer to speak to a specialist adviser first and plan the sequence, rather than acting immediately. Refuge runs a dedicated technology safety service for exactly this.
What help do UK broadband and mobile providers offer?
It varies, and there is no single UK-wide scheme. Ofcom requires all providers to have policies for treating vulnerable customers fairly, and some publish specific support for people experiencing domestic or economic abuse, which can include removing a named contact, changing contact details and passwords, or arranging a number change. Asking for the vulnerable customer team, rather than ordinary customer service, usually reaches better-trained staff.
What if I cannot speak when I call 999?
Call 999. From a mobile, if you cannot speak, listen for the automated message and press 55 when prompted. This tells the operator it is a genuine emergency and transfers you to police. Pressing 55 does not reveal your location, and a silent 999 call on its own does not guarantee that police will be sent. From a landline the 55 system is not used, and landline calls do provide your location automatically.
References
- Ofcom. (2025). Help for telecoms customers suffering abuse, harassment or violence. Office of Communications.
- Ofcom. (2022). Treating vulnerable customers fairly: a guide for phone, broadband and pay-TV providers. Office of Communications.
- Metropolitan Police. (n.d.). How to make a silent 999 call. https://www.met.police.uk/contact/how-to-make-a-silent-999-call/
- Domestic Abuse Act 2021. https://www.legislation.gov.uk/ukpga/2021/17/contents
- Serious Crime Act 2015, section 76. https://www.legislation.gov.uk/ukpga/2015/9/section/76
- Refuge. (n.d.). Technology safety. https://refugetechsafety.org/
- Safe Connections Act of 2022, Public Law 117-223 (United States). https://www.congress.gov/117/plaws/publ223/PLAW-117publ223.pdf
Written by Adrian James, Broadband Editor at BroadbandSwitch.uk. Reviewed by Dr Alex J. Martin-Smith. Published 25 July 2026. All helpline details were verified against the organisations' own websites on 25 July 2026 and are re-checked quarterly, but hours can change, so the websites are the most current source. This page is general information about how telecoms accounts work. It is not safety advice, legal advice, or a substitute for support from a specialist organisation. Tell us if anything here is out of date and we will correct it.