HOW THEY GET ROUND OPT-OUT

THE Telephone Preference Service is a government initiative which bans companies from cold calling numbers on an official no- call list, unless they have given their prior consent.

It has faced criticism because companies can bury this supposed consent in small print in their terms and conditions.

Only a third of nuisance calls are blocked by registering with the TPS, research shows.

The TPS is funded by the direct marketing industry but the duty to maintain the ‘no-call’ register is with regulator Ofcom. If firms disregard it, they face fines of up to £500,000 from the Information Commissioner’s Office.

Even though the TPS is a free service, some conmen try to charge people to sign them up or claim they can get them on to an enhanced list for a fee.

Mobile phone numbers can be registered, although this will not prevent unsolicited text messages. There is a Corporate TPS for businesses.

Once residential numbers are on the TPS they remain there as long as the line is live. Companies have to renew every year.

Yesterday Bolton cold- calling firm Direct Assist Ltd was fined £80,000 by the ICO after 801 complaints from people on the TPS who received personal injury claims calls. The firm phoned one family 470 times. The fine came after the TPS warned Direct Assist 525 times over the complaints.