Nine out of ten people in the UK receive nuisance calls each month according to a recent survey which has also revealed the top five nuisance telephone calls of 2016.
Almost a fifth of UK adults have been a victim of a telephone scam. And over a third said they had lost money as a result. Some up to £10,000.
The UK’s top five nuisance calls of 2016 are:
Calls about PPI refunds (67 per cent) – being told you are owed money for mis-sold PPI payments and asked for an admin fee to proceed
Compensations calls (62 per cent) – being told you are due compensation for a vehicle/work accident and then asked to provide personal details and/or pay an admin fee to proceed
Missed calls/automated calls scam (58 per cent)- a message asks you to call back a premium-rate phone line number
Marketing cold-calls (55 per cent) – receiving unsolicited calls from organisations you’ve had no dealings with, usually trying to sell double glazing or home energy services, who ask for personal information and/or bank details to pay upfront
Pensions and investment scams (14 per cent) – being told about an ‘unmissable’ investment opportunity or offered pension liberation or bonuses and Credit card/loan arranger scam (14 per cent) – you are invited to apply for a guaranteed loan for an application fee
Almost a third of UK adults are receiving 20 or more unwanted calls in a month, with 15 per cent receiving 30 or more calls.
For those who are still receiving nuisance calls this Christmas, there are two simple tips to follow to cit down on these pests – they are:
- Sign up to the Telephone Preference Service – call 0845 070 0707 or visit www.tpsonline.org.uk
- Don’t consent to being contacted – get your phone number taken off directories and look out for tick boxes on all marketing correspondence to see if ticking or unticking them will prevent your details being passed on to third parties
Are you the victim of nuisance phone calls? Please tell us your experiences.
