Jasmine Birtles
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Is the end drawing near for nuisance calls?
Marc Crosby
3rd Apr 2015
Sick of nuisance phone calls?
Well, so is everybody by the looks of it.
In a recent YouGov survey it was found that 81% of us Brits are plagued by nuisance calls, with over a quarter of us getting more than ten calls a week and some even getting more then twenty!
Many of those surveyed said they felt either stressed, bullied or vulnerable after receiving these calls and nearly a third of the calls were related to attempted fraud.
What is being done about this?
From April 6th the government will be able to come down hard on unwanted marketing calls and text messages – with fines up to £500,000!
At the moment the law currently requires that the Information Commissioner’s Office (ICO) have to prove there has been ‘substantial damage or substantial distress’ before any legal action can be taken against the marketing companies.
However, from April 6th this threshold will be removed, making it a lot easier for the government to prosecute nuisance calls which cause a lot of people an awful lot of aggravation and stress.
On top of the government taking action against nuisance call companies, entrepreneurs are now getting in on the act.
Hugo Sykes, a 23 year old Oxford University engineering graduate, has created ‘Community CallBLOCKER’.
It works by connecting a small device to your telephone and it’s able to detect and record nuisance calls – meaning that recordings of the calls can be used as evidence to prosecute.
Hugo Sykes said: ” Nuisance calls are clearly out of control in the UK and we know they are affecting many households’ everyday lives. It isn’t just the intrusion but also the potential criminal activity that these calls are leading to.
“We know from our research that 12% of people have either been a victim of telephone fraud, or know a friend or family member who has, and this doesn’t account for those who may be too embarrassed to admit they’ve been defrauded.”
With the government and entrepreneurs working in unison, hopefully the days of nuisance calls are numbered.
…until then, why not try these 10 ways to get revenge on cold callers.
Do you get nuisance phone calls regularly? What do you do to keep the calls to a minimum? Let us know in the comments below.
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