Get your free call blocking gadget

FAMILIES of vulnerable people will be able to request free call-blocking gadgets from their local councils in order to protect them from scams.

The Government has confirmed that it will be offering more funding to National Trading Standards to extend a scheme which will give free gizmos to people at risk from cold-callers.

The TrueCall devices, which normally cost around £100, plug in between your phone and the telephone socket and intercept all calls. Before letting the caller through, they must first state their name and where they are calling from so that the person picking up the call can decide whether or not to let them through.

The initial scheme, which cost halfa-million pounds and ran between May 2017 and April 2018, blocked more than 100,000 unwanted calls.

A survey of those who had received the call-blocker devices found that three- quarters of participants reported they no longer felt at risk of falling victim to telephone scams.

Prior to the project, 79 pc of participants felt worried by unwanted phone calls and 60 pc felt threatened or scared about receiving calls.

After the blockers were installed, these figures fell to 17 pc and 10 pc respectively, according to National Trading Standards. The Government has yet to announce when the new batch of gadgets will be made available through local trading standards teams.