SPAM Mobile Calls
Just got a missed call from 02920 368701 ( 02920368701 ) on one of our mobiles. Since it isn’t a recognised number we use here it was worth a quick Google to find out why the number may be calling us. This blog posting was No1 in Google and it pretty much says it all.
Unfortunately, it would seem that our number has been sold onto cold callers, who are in effect just SPAMMERS of the telephone world. It is amazing that the annual contract will be due within the next few weeks. Coincidence, we think not!
When they phone back we’ll go along with their sales speech thereby costing them both time, resources and call charges before saying we’re not really interested. We will also try to find out who they are and how they got our details, thereafter reporting this incident to the Information Commissioner.
Technorati Tags: cold calling, cold callers, information commissioner, spam
January 7th, 2007 at 10:21 pm
Indeed, these spam-style calls have reached the land-line market too. For the last few months we’ve been answering “withheld” or unknown numbers with the silent treatment. Nine times out of ten such calls emanate from a computer…our silent treatment for 10 seconds often confuses it in to hanging up. Of course, real callers speak up pretty quickly with those 10 seconds!
That said, I’d be careful about accepting the call on the mobile: my other half was stung for a few pounds per call when she received SMS messages from a so-called “joke service” that had randomly guessed her number. A complaint to ICTIS (http://www.icstis.org.uk/) and a letter to BT soon saw a £20 refund and no further costly, but “unfunny”, jokes.
January 7th, 2007 at 10:25 pm
You should register your landline and mobile numbers with the Telephone Preference Service as it reduces the number of cold calls considerably.
http://www.tpsonline.org.uk/tps/
March 25th, 2007 at 9:45 am
I have been receiving so called private numbers or witheld / unknown number calls. They usually start at around 4am on a Saturday morning and ring only once. I have managed to answer one only because it happens once every 2 hours like clock work. So it must be from a computerised service or a very sad individual. There was no attempted communication and the line went dead instantly.I am going to register with TPS now and see if it makes any difference. Also a complaint to ICTIS might help.