MORE than half of all unwanted calls to UK phone numbers come from fraudsters, new research shows.
False calls related to energy assistance schemes and others cost of living Scams have exploded in recent months, according to analysis by phone security company Hiya.
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There was a spike in fraudsters claiming to be from Amazon leading up to Christmas, and a large number of callers posing as HM Tax & Customslike banks and payment providers Visafound it.
Separate figures show that nuisance callers misled more than 100,000 victims in the past year to hand over a total of £1.8 million, according to the Information Commissioner’s Office, which is tasked with cracking down on this practice.
The head of investigations, Andy Curry, urged anyone receiving unwanted calls to register with the telephone preference service and report rogue firms.
Once your mobile and landline numbers are in this register, companies calling without your permission are breaking the law.
He said: “If customers flag callers for breaking these rules, we can take action and issue fines.”
Sign in to tpsonline.org.ukby calling 0345 070 0707 or register your mobile by texting “TPS” and your email address to 85095.
Unfortunately, it doesn’t prevent calls from fraudsters who break the rules.
You can also ask your phone provider to set up call barring features.
BT, Sky, gossip and Virgin Media all offer services to filter out unwanted sales calls and block the numbers of known scammers.
For landlines, you can also buy handsets with built-in unwanted call blocking.
Mr Curry said: “It allows customers to enter numbers into a list of relatives and friends. All numbers calling outside this list will be automatically blocked.
“Others work by asking the caller to state their name before transferring the call to the recipient.”
You can buy a BT home phone with a call blocking feature for £28 from Amazon.
It is vital to help protect elderly or vulnerable family members from scammers.
Make sure they are registered with the TPS and help them set up call barring.
Mr Curry added: “Make sure your family members know not to reveal their bank account details, PIN numbers or any other confidential information to nuisance callers.”