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MSE News: You can now opt out of cold calls with just one free text

Legacy_user
Legacy_user Posts: 0 Newbie
in Mobiles
Mobile users plagued by annoying cold calls can now send a free text to join a register that blacklists your number...
Read the full story:
'You can now opt out of cold calls with just one free text'
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Comments

  • vm2pensioner
    vm2pensioner Posts: 144 Forumite
    Part of the Furniture 100 Posts Combo Breaker
    edited 27 May 2016 at 11:06AM
    How much does it cost to text this number? I got a message that sending this text will be a charge to my account.
  • megaginge
    megaginge Posts: 363 Forumite
    No cost except for a standard rate text message
    Hello There. :beer:
  • redux
    redux Posts: 22,976 Forumite
    Part of the Furniture 10,000 Posts Name Dropper
    edited 27 May 2016 at 11:21AM
    Hello, I'm ringing from the Windows about your computer.

    Why are you doing that?

    Our records show that your computer has had some serious issues in the last few weeks.

    That's odd. My computer hasn't been switched on in the last few weeks. I've used an Android tablet occasionally, which has nothing to do with Microsoft or Windows. Now go away, and don't call again.

    I don't think that would-be fraudsters ringing up from a far away country are going to be held back by a TPS registration.
  • unforeseen
    unforeseen Posts: 7,390 Forumite
    Part of the Furniture 1,000 Posts Photogenic Name Dropper
    TPS didn't work with landlines and foreign calls. Why do they think it will work with mobiles?
  • brewerdave
    brewerdave Posts: 8,753 Forumite
    Part of the Furniture 1,000 Posts Name Dropper
    I've had a landline registered with TPS for donkeys years -but if I plug the phone in ,I get ~ 3 or 4 calls a day from "Kevin" in Bengaluru, who isn't selling me anything...................:rotfl:
  • footyguy
    footyguy Posts: 4,157 Forumite
    1,000 Posts Combo Breaker
    edited 27 May 2016 at 1:34PM
    I thought you could register any telephone number (that belongs to you) with the TPS

    I know I've registered 08... numbers in the past.

    It doesn't cost a penny to register your number online with the TPS. You can do it here:
    http://www.tpsonline.org.uk/tps/number_type.html

    Sadly, even once you have joined the TPS, it doesn't necessarily stop unsolicited calls. If you receive one, report it here:
    https://complaints.tpsonline.org.uk/Consumer/

    Unfortunately, the TPS can't actually do much about it other than report it to the ICO, so you may as well do that yourself too (that is what the TPS advises me to do). You can do that here:
    https://ico.org.uk/concerns/marketing

    The TPS does not cover all types of unsolicited, annoying calls (nor do the ICO, but the above link explains which ones they do), so here's another couple of places to report some types of calls:

    Silent or abandoned calls
    https://stakeholders.ofcom.org.uk/tell-us/webflow/silent-calls/

    Market research calls
    https://www.mrs.org.uk/standards/complaint_form


    One final bit of advice, keep a log of who you have reported and when - the questionaires often ask for this and it can be useful to give this info where appropriate (I think they take such matters more seriosly if you have reported them previously for the same thing)

    - Also if you report a number of matters to the TPS, they may respond saying they need more info but won't tell you which complaint they are responding to, so you'll need to ask (or guess) which one they mean, and a log of such historical events may prove useful in giving the info they request.
  • Ian011
    Ian011 Posts: 2,432 Forumite
    Fifth Anniversary 1,000 Posts Name Dropper
    edited 3 June 2016 at 6:16AM
    The text message to 78070 is free. Completely free, zero charge.

    TPS reduces calls from legitimate organisations and businesses. It does not deal with calls from scammers and fraudsters, nor was it ever meant to.


    EDIT 1: It turns out the messages to 78070 are not free after all. On some networks the cost is 'one standard rate message', on others it is free.

    EDIT 2: A week after the original launch, another number has been set up. The new number is 85095. This one is supposedly free on all mobile networks.
  • boatman
    boatman Posts: 4,700 Forumite
    Part of the Furniture 1,000 Posts Name Dropper
    edited 27 May 2016 at 5:52PM
    Comes up with an error code when I try to text TPS to 78070...

    cant-send-message-on-card-1-error-28
    Maybe iD Mobile haven't paid their bill...
  • d123
    d123 Posts: 8,744 Forumite
    Part of the Furniture 1,000 Posts Name Dropper Photogenic
    Ian011 wrote: »
    The text message to 78070 is free. Completely free, zero charge.

    Please remove or edit your incorrect information. It is NOT free.
    The text-to-register service is not free for all mobile customers, as implied in an earlier version of this release. For most users, the text should be included within their bundle. However, some users may be charged a standard message rate by their operator, depending on their contract.

    http://media.ofcom.org.uk/news/2016/tps-text-to-register-service/
    ====
  • Ian011
    Ian011 Posts: 2,432 Forumite
    Fifth Anniversary 1,000 Posts Name Dropper
    edited 3 June 2016 at 6:19AM
    The advice has obviously changed. Earlier today, assurances were given that sending a text message to 78070 is completely free on all mobile networks.

    The new advice is also not correct. No mobile network includes messages to mobile shortcodes within inclusive allowances. If there is a charge, it will be the cost of 'one standard rate message' (anything up to 20p, depending on your network).


    EDIT: A week after the original launch, another number has been set up. The new number is 85095. This one is supposedly free on all mobile networks.
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