24 replies to this topic

[All torque]

Posting this on behalf of my mother in law.

She is recieving a lot of these calls (like most of us) now its to the point of over 10 a day.  She doesnt think there from the same company but the callers never have a british accient........

Yesterday she had one person saying hes going to come into her house at night & hide under her bed. She put the phone down but he phoned back asking if she was "ready for him" (?)

She is ex-directory and I have already registered her with TPS.  Is there any other way to stop or at least reduce these calls?

[grr666]

Referees whistle, right next to the phone.
Give them a blast on that.

[queeg]

Lay down the reciever when called but dont hang up - dont say anything - leave it for a good 30min before quietly hanging up - this stops them from being able to make another call. Log all calls and what is said, day, time etc and report it to (im assuming she is with BT?) BT. If it's bad, and I think the one you described IS bad, she should report it to the police - It is illegal to make that type of malicious call.

You should not show any sort of emotion with these calls (including blowing whistles !) as this gives the caller more ammunition/incentive to keep phoning back. Its like internet Trolls - the more you answer/argue with them, the more perverted enjoyment they get. Say nothing.

If it gets rediculous I would personally get the line cut off, buy a cheap Pay as you go mobile and use that instead. The benefit being if she has problems with that number it just requires another free SIM to change it !

Good luck and I hope she isn't taking it too hard.

[andyspan]

If she is exdirectory and registered with TPS it would seem perhaps that it's someone known to her. How many people know her number? If it goes on I would get the police involved, it must be very distressing for her!

[mdon]

andyspan, on 07 July 2012 - 17:56, said:

If she is exdirectory and registered with TPS it would seem perhaps that it's someone known to her. How many people know her number? If it goes on I would get the police involved, it must be very distressing for her!

Lots of people are ex directly and registered with tps yet still get scam calls, companies like insurrance companies etc sell on your details including phone number. Im in the same boat as her and I received a phone call today stating my computer has a virus and for a fee they could remove it.

[VWD]

queeg, on 07 July 2012 - 14:46, said:

Lay down the reciever when called but dont hang up - dont say anything - leave it for a good 30min before quietly hanging up - this stops them from being able to make another call. Log all calls and what is said, day, time etc and report it to (im assuming she is with BT?)

Sorry, but it's the caller who holds the connection,not the reciever. Some exchanges used to have a force release facility on either party hanging up ( those had a limited number of connect paths, and one not earning ,with a cal in progress was loosing BT money,so path was force released .) .Not certain if modern systems have this facility ( my telecomms notes are in the loft ) . Something these jokers don't know, is that with modern exchanges ,most calls forward the calling number to the last exchange. It's only at that point that the caller's number is with held,or not. So any modern Telecomms company can interrogate the called number's equipment to retrieve the data. Only time it's not possible is if call is from overseas . Call the malicious call hotline and give them the data .
MDON, - THE computer virus scam comes from abroad ( mostly) . Answer the call, take the P and finnally ask how you can give them remote access on a MAC .That usually kills it dead .
Cold calling from companies ,when registered with TPS. Get data on company ,number if possible , and what they're trying to sell.Then ,firmly ,ask if the person knows anything about the TPS scheme and the Data protection ( Telecomms ) act , and the possible penalties. It is the duty of a firm to check the TPS number log ,BEFORE calling to ensure that Numbet is NOT on the database. Failure to do this can result in financial penalties and possible cessation of phone service.  Last statement is to ask them ( under Data protection act) to remove your data from their database . It sounds official and scares the ****e out of most operators.
Even if the caller is using a random number calling system ,I found that this stopped them dead in the water .

[Jigger72]

I would suggest calling the police.

This isn't just irritating companies telling her she can claim PPI or accident damages - this is willful harassment of a more sinister nature. She's living on her own and the caller is threatening her.

There are too many scumbags in this world

Hope she gets it sorted

[superbfan]

My mum ended up having to change phone number to stop a distant relative hassling her by phone. Worked a treat, new number ex directory and only given out to those she wanted to have it

May seem like a cop out and letting nuisance caller win, but short term hassle for long term peace of mind

[Kandy]

A large proportion of these calls originate abroad and there is effectively no way of stopping/prosecuting them. As well as sold details, they use directories and auto-diallers that generate numbers to try. As I commented on a previous thread on the matter, if you are impatient/abusive they get nasty and call even more repeatedly and pass your name on. If you saw the BBC program the other day, you'll realise UK companies ignore the TPS and the data commissioner has no teeth and can't/doesn't/hasn't prosecuted any company in living memory or some-such.

If the call source is a UK individual, it is worth making it a police matter.

[Aspman]

Yup phone phone company and/or police and say that the calls are 'threatening' not just a nuisance.

[shane_saintsfc]

Change your number. If with o2 it free if you havn't changed in a year otherwise a £10 charge.

[All torque]

Thanks for the reply everyone.  She is going to change her number - the calls just keep coming.

Somebody somewere needs to take action on companies who do this.

[Gregie]

Hello. Can I speak to the home owner please?

No! She's dead!

I've never had a call since hahaha

[wid cg vrs]

I once told the caller that I didn't know the owner because I was a burgler and was just robbing the place.complete silence for a few seconds,then they hung up

[Clunkclick]

In the case of what's thought to be nuisance calls just let it ring without picking -up. After a few weeks of that the commercially driven ones will go away. They may return at a later date, but just do the same again.

I've been getting three to four a day and its worked for me.

And if your worried about missing calls important to you get a DECT phone with caller display,

If no number is displayed or a number is shown which you don't know, then just don't  pick-up.

Or better still, just disconnect the phone from the socket and tell relatives/friends what you're doing. Again, you can periodically use the free 1471 service and get back to anybody you need to.

I've often wondered whether telecoms providers might see turning a blind-un to  this sort of saturation cold-calling as a way of getting more revenue from their own customers than they otherwise would.


Nick

[rwbaldwin]

Many of these calls come from overseas. If you don't need to receive international calls, then block them.

[VWD]

All torque, on 07 July 2012 - 13:55, said:

Posting this on behalf of my mother in law.



She is ex-directory and I have already registered her with TPS.  Is there any other way to stop or at least reduce these calls?

Missed this bit last time. If she's registered witH tps, and on a BT LINE ,then she''l  get free caller display. Unknown number/ none given /with held , don't answer.

Though thinking back, last place I lived( lot of years ago though) ,I took over an existing number and got plagued with calls. Turned out he'd been running a sideline as a driving school, and he'd some unhappy customers. BT changed the number for free.

[Llanigraham]

I answer in Welsh, that totally confuses them!

[Raf_]

I like the double glazing ones best, spent 45 mins talking to one once, hung up on me though after I said I didn't know they did council houses lol

Sent from my Galaxy S2  not a Crapple!

[rwbaldwin]

It's a bad idea to keep them hanging on. Most robodialler systems will log that as meaning a conversation is possible. Hang up ASAP.

[Clunkclick]

My no number provided and number not recognised (By me)  callers have been making a reprise performance this week, about three times a day, but joyfully  I have been giving them an epoxy stiff ignoring . And the World hasn't ended yet (Who said "Give the State Department, CIA and Hilary Clinton time", cheeky).


Nick

[RapidRonnie]

Got called a c*** the other day by someone claiming to be from British Gas after I hung up on them. They rang me back to tell me that, and when I said I was sick of receiving those type of phone calls he told me to f*** off (several times)

[cheezemonkhai]

OctaviaT81, on 20 July 2012 - 20:43, said:

Got called a c*** the other day by someone claiming to be from British Gas after I hung up on them. They rang me back to tell me that, and when I said I was sick of receiving those type of phone calls he told me to f*** off (several times)

Last time somebody swore at me because I wasn't interested in their lies, I called the call centre back, spoke to a manager and was assured he wouldn't be working there any longer. I wrote to the top man at the same time and got an apology, some credit on another one of their services I already used and an assurance that the guy really was fired.

Edited by cheezemonkhai, 20 July 2012 - 22:45.

[SkodaDad]

Llanigraham, on 13 July 2012 - 12:13, said:

I answer in Welsh, that totally confuses them!

I must try that with Irish

SD

[gullyg]

VWD, on 13 July 2012 - 12:06, said:

Missed this bit last time. If she's registered witH tps, and on a BT LINE ,then she''l  get free caller display. Unknown number/ none given /with held , don't answer.

Though thinking back, last place I lived( lot of years ago though) ,I took over an existing number and got plagued with calls. Turned out he'd been running a sideline as a driving school, and he'd some unhappy customers. BT changed the number for free.

We have a set of Panasonic phones which, if the line has CLI, has the ability to "block" numbers.  Basically the phones just don't ring when it's a blocked number.

Unfortunately I can't block withheld numbers as a good amount of my family withhold their numbers due to their jobs.

As others have said, if I was to get phone calls like the OP mentioned the first call would be to the police and the second would be to BT.