Ofcom has opened an "own initiative investigation" into possible misuse of 087 numbers. Details and discussion
here.
Quote:Own-initiative investigation into the possible misuse of 087 numbers
Ofcom has received over 400 complaints about possible scams on the 087 number range, including scams involving:
[…]
b. rogue advertising of 087 numbers as contact numbers for public service organisations, without the knowledge or approval of the organisation affected. Using the 087 number, calls are still routed to the advertised destination, but a share of the revenue is generated for the rogue advertiser of the 087 number. This is of particular concern to organisations which have identified rogue 087 numbers being wrongly conveyed as legitimate contact numbers, when in fact they have nothing to do with the organisation concerned.
I assume that this covers the points made in this thread. There are quite a few websites giving 0871 numbers for restaurants, and numbers have been submitted on many occasions for inclusion in the Saynoto0870 database of alternative numbers.