Phone spam

[Nigel]

I've also found the fastest way to get rid of cold callers, and not have them come back again, is to ask them a whole string of increasingly personal questions... could you spell your name, please?... and what is your telephone number ? Address ? Mobile phone provider ? Credit card provider ? Bank details ? What, you don't want to tell me ? But you want me to tell you all that...

Another one is "And how exactly did you get hold of this ex-directory number ? What, your machine dialed it at random ? You do realise that's illegal here, don't you..." at which point you're usually talking to a dial tone. It does appear that many cold callers do use random number diallers, which are illegal in the UK, and they're fully aware of that.

[MikeHarvey]

It does appear that many cold callers do use random number diallers, which are illegal in the UK, and they're fully aware of that.

Really? I had a call from one of the well known polling companies a few years ago (I can't remember which one now) and when I asked they admitted that they used a sequential dialler so has this become illegal in the last few years, or has it always been so?

[M-Saunders]

Maybe a sequential dialler is legal, but a random dialler isn't

M

[Nigel]

I had always understood that these devices were illegal for use in the UK. I'll see if I can find a reference to back that up... Certainly, as soon as you say to a cold caller "Aren't those devices illegal..." they hang up on you instantly

[wyliecoyoteuk]

One that works well:
"Can I have the name of your company and your name please, we are on the telephone preference exclusion list, we do not receive cold calls, and if your company is ignoring that, they are breaking the law"....dialtone.

It is also possible on many phones to set them not to accept calls that suppress caller ID, they just get a message saying that "this number does not accept calls without caller ID".
Most phone spammers suppress caller ID, although some have figured out how to give a bogus routing ID.

Mind you, the worst one I have heard of recently was from a certain bank beginning with B.
My friend could not believe this one!

"Hello, I am calling you because you recently selected not to receive promotional phone or email messages from us"
"So why are you calling me? I said that I did not want calls from you!"
"But you might be missing out on special offers we are running."
"I don't care, don't phone me again, I am going to complain about this, and I am also going to change bank! goodbye"
She also got an email saying they were sorry she was missing their special offers.....

[jjmac]

I'm a little surprised that the Real Estate people arn't in this already. I would have thought they would be up to their necks in it. I guess they must have done some research and decided against the technique. Small blessings.


jm

[nelz]

The one that annoys me is when the banks phone and immediately ask me to verify my identity, usually asking for account details. They warn us to be careful with personal information, then do the equivalent of phone phishing.

[Nigel]

Interesting... Seems I was wrong... Automated diallers do appear to be legal in the UK, as long as their use doesn't break any other laws.
I wonder how that ties in with TPS registration ?

[nelz]

There's no reason why the dialler software can't check the number against the TPS list before dialling it.

Do telesales companies really use random diallers? That would seem a little pointless, sequential diallers would seem a better choice.

[jjmac]

I can remember reading over my dialup modems' booklet when i first got it. It did mention that in .au there was a regulation on the time between dials on the same or consecutive numbers. I guess, at least over here, that could be a means of loop holing any regulation on auto or consecutive dials.


jm

[buchaille]

I work for the local museum which is registered as a limited company, so the trustees are registered as company directors at Companies House. Up until about a year ago I used to regularly take phone calls from men with american accents asking for one of the trustees, often by their first names. It was such a giveaway, since nobody who knew them or had any business with them would use the museum number to contact them.

Some of them were extremely unpleasant and agressive, asking for phone numbers for their 'targets' and in one case phoning back repeatedly when I hung up on the guy.

I was never really clear what it was that they were trying to sell, but suspect it might have been a forerunner to all the stocks and shares email spam that seems to populate the Junk Mail box at the moment

[CJLL]

So about a month later I call this number and get messed about, put on hold, silly music etc.

So how do they manage that, they start the call and it gets billed to you?

If you have the number you called you can complain to ICSTIS

http://www.icstis.org.uk/consumers/default.asp They are very effective at dealing with this sort of scam, and you should be able to claim your money back.

[CJLL]

There's no reason why the dialler software can't check the number against the TPS list before dialling it.

Do telesales companies really use random diallers? That would seem a little pointless, sequential diallers would seem a better choice.

The telemarketing companies operate by purchasing lists from list compilers.

Compilers purchase data from various companies, market research and insurance companies being the worst.

You can buy lists that are particually tailored to your companies target markets, such as location, income, whether your home has a garage (yes, if you've asked for a motor quote and told them you garage your car then this is can be sold on).

Lists can either be sold prewashed against no marketing lists or the responsibility for checking the list may rest with the telemarketer.

The TPS scheme is not enshrined in law, however, the evil DMA does recognise it as being best practice and recommends that their members use it.

The fact that the TPS is a subscription based service for marketers, it's adoption is not guareentied.

http://corporate.mpsonline.org.uk/tpsc/ ... akdown.asp

[DefaultName]

TPS looks great.



___________________
Michael
Hearing Planet - Hearing Planet Product Catalogs

[Rhakios]

I thought this site was interesting. It can provide a way to avoid having to dial 0870 numbers which cost up to 7p/min and which always seem to have long waiting times, in my experience.