Before Christmas we were made aware that people were receiving scam calls about repairs in their home who were advising they were calling on behalf of the Government and that we had given the company your personal contact details.
Let me state categorically – we do not give out your personal information to anyone unless it is required by law. We comply with the Data Protection Act and would never give out your confidential information to anyone.
If you want to stop people calling you make sure you register with the Telephone Preference Service. You can register online or you can call the 24 hour automated registration on 0345 070 0707. You can register your landline and your mobile. You can also register from your mobile phone by texting ‘TPS’ and your email address to 85095.
When you fill out a form (online or in real life) there will be small boxes that will ask you something like “I give permission for the company or third parties to contact me”. Read these carefully and tick or untick the box to make sure you don’t get contacted.
If you are getting a large number of nuisance calls, speak to your phone provider to ask about advice and support. Most providers can offer caller identity services.
Ask the caller to give you their name and the name of the company they are calling from. You can then check this information to make sure it is a legitimate call.
If you are suspicious about a caller do not give them any personal information at all. If they are a genuine call they will have your information already. If you are asked for passwords or account numbers refuse and remind the caller they have your information already.
Hang up the phone if you are worried. If you want to call the company back to make sure it is genuine, try to use a different phone (ie landline if they called your mobile or vice versa). This is because scammers are able to keep your phone line open so you think you are making a new call you might actually still be speaking to the scammers.
If you are not able to use a different phone then leave at least 20 - 30 minutes and then call a friend or relative you trust to make sure you can get through to them. Once you know the line is clear then you can call whoever you need to.
Refused to be pressured. If you are being harried for information explain to the caller that you will not make any decision or give out any information if you are being rushed. They will be patient with you if they are a real call.
Don’t rely on your Caller ID display – scammers can “spoof” numbers so it looks like a legitimate organisation is calling you. Never assume that the caller is who they say they are just because your display agrees.
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