Nuisance callers’ new way to fool householders

Which?, the consumer watchdog, has called for tougher action against nuisance calls. It said some call centres were using software to trick householders into thinking the call was trustworthy and picking up the phone. It said the deception had become a “major problem”.

A WATCHDOG has called for tougher action against call centres that “spoof ” their caller ID.

Which? said some call centres were using software to hide their real identity. Householders see a fake number with a local area code, or any number a call centre considered to look trustworthy, and are tricked into picking up the phone.

The consumer group said the deception had become a “major problem”, with Ofcom estimating that as many as two billion nuisance calls were made each year using “spoofed” numbers.

It warned such calls were undermining the caller ID system, which had become a trusted barrier to nuisance interruptions in UK households over the past two decades.

Which? said it wanted to see the caller ID system made more secure and companies legally obliged to present a valid number when they made outbound marketing calls.

Richard Lloyd, Which? executive director, said: “Number spoofing is yet another twist on the modern day menace of nuisance calls. At best this practice is frustrating for people who are already sick and tired of getting nuisance calls, and at worst it could lead to you being the victim of fraud.

“We want the Government to keep its promises on making firms give an accurate number when making outbound marketing calls.

“We also need senior executives to be held personally accountable if their company makes unlawful sales calls.”

Under Ofcom rules, companies are not obliged to give caller ID details but, if they do, the numbers must be accurate or they can face a fine of up to £2 million. To date, no companies have been charged with “spoofing” as they are often based overseas and difficult to identify.

Which? noted that not every company that altered its caller identification did so for malicious purposes, with some displaying an alternative freephone 0800 number to allow customers to call back without charge.