And they’re NOT even breaking the law . . .

CHARITIES exploit legal loopholes to phone vulnerable people – even if they are on the Government’s official no-call telephone preference service (TPS). Here’s how:

OPT OUTS: FUNDRAISERS are allowed to contact people by email and fax only if they have specifically agreed to be contacted, or ‘opted in’.

But they can cold-call anyone unless the person has ‘opted out’ of receiving calls in the small print of a form or written to the charity to tell them.

Even if you are on the TPS you will lose that protection if you have said on a form at some point you do not mind being called.

Charities are accused of tricking people into opting in – so they can bypass the TPS even when people do not want to be contacted.

Some of them are hiding the agreement to opt in to fundraising calls in the small print of a ‘privacy policy’ on a website used to make a one off donation. These are rarely read by people quickly making a payment online.

Donor forms may also have a box which has to be ticked to stop future calls, rather than a box to tick to proactively agree. This means the default setting is agreeing to being contacted.

Often donors do not realise they have consented.

SHARED DATA: Another clause which can be hidden in terms and conditions is an agreement that the donor is happy for their details to be passed on to other charities. These may be described as ‘relevant’ organisations or other bodies which the charity ‘works closely with’. By failing to notice the small print, the donor can end up agreeing to receive fundraising calls from a host of charities. Bizarrely, under the current law, this is seen as giving specific consent to being contacted.

SURVEYS:

CHARITIES are routinely sponsoring questions on telephone lifestyle surveys run by data firms. Homeown- ers will receive calls from overseas call centres asking them to do the surveys – about their shopping habits, hobbies or financial affairs.

At some point in the call they are told answering may lead to companies contacting them. Many people do not realise this is taken as a specific ‘opt in’.

Among the questions may be one asking if the homeowner is interested in giving to certain types of charities.

If they say yes, this is seen as an ‘opt in’ for the charity to contact them.