CAMPAIGN - Incoming international calls are driving me crazy

Paul_Varjak

There is a new device on the market which can block unwanted calls. It is called trueCall.

www.truecall.co.uk

With trueCall, you can block silent calls and automated calls (automated calls are usually from overseas) without ever hearing your telephone ring. You can also block anonymous calls (where caller ID is withheld) or get trueCall to answer them so that you can reject or take the call as you wish.

You can put your relatives and friends on a 'star' list so that their calls always get through unhindered. You can block up to 500 numbers so calls from those numbers never get through. For numbers where you have yet to establish the bona fide of the caller, trueCall will ask for the caller's name and you can either answer the call, send the call to answerphone, reject the call, or block all future calls from that caller.

At £97.50p it may not be cheap but it does work out cheaper than usingt BT's Anonymous Call Rejection and Choose to Refuse facilities for one year and it is a lot more flexible as well.

If you go the Consumer Action Group website, you can get trueCall with a free digital recorder (usually £24). You can then record any malicious calls you receive (up to 70 hours). You can download the recordings to your computer.

Whether or not you get the digital recorder, trueCall has a built-in telephone answering machine. At around 17 minutes recording time I feel that is a bit limited though.

trueCall is really very intelligent and not just a 'dumb' call blocker but it is also very easy to use. For instance, when you first plug it in, it automatically asks you to record an outgoing message. It also monitors your 1571 message facility after every call and calls you if someone has left a 1571 message.

The facilities of trueCall are accessible for your phone's handset. trueCall itself has as single three-way button to access answerphone messages; some LEDs are supposed to help you know what trueCall is doing. I found the LEDs a lttle unhelpful though.

Although it will work and provide useful functions with Caller ID being enabled on your line, to get full benefit from trueCall you do need to have Caller ID available. You can get Caller ID, efectively for free, with BT's privacy option.

Overall, I think trueCall is a fantastic device to block unwanted calls and to silently record calls of a malicious nature. Those with a visual impairment can easily use trueCall.


Here is the link to the CAG special offer:

http://www.consumeractiongroup.co.uk/forum/announcement.php?f=88&a=143

wantmemoney

http://www.tpsonline.org.uk/ctps/number_type.html


register your number on the list that organizations use to register.
http://www.tpsonline.org.uk/ctps/number_type.html

it might help, the mass marketing spammers and scammers won't target that list.

Paul_Varjak

wantmemoney wrote: »

http://www.tpsonline.org.uk/ctps/number_type.html


register your number on the list that organizations use to register.
http://www.tpsonline.org.uk/ctps/number_type.html

it might help, the mass marketing spammers and scammers won't target that list.

TPS certainly works - except for those fraudulent spammers who don't care who they call.

TPS will not work if you have a business relationship with a company and you have agreed to accept calls from that company - and, remember, some companies you have business with may require you to opt out from receiving such calls!

TPS is not mandatory for calls from international numbers.

wantmemoney

TPS certainly works - except for those fraudulent spammers who don't care who they call.

hi Paul,
it's possible i didn't make my suggestion clear.

most people register on the 'residential' list
https://secure.dma.org.uk/cgi-bin/session.pl?reg_option=tps

i was suggesting people should register their numbers on the ' Limited company: (Including organisations such as Hospitals, Schools, Government Departments and other Corporate subscribers)'
https://secure.dma.org.uk/cgi-bin/tps_numbers.pl

it would mean being 'imaginative' with the registration details

i don't know but i imagine the mass marketing spammers take this list more seriously.

cepheus

Not sure if this is any use, is it a subscription service? Claims 50% of calls avoid TPS

http://www.optoutuk.com/

Paul_Varjak

wantmemoney:

The things is that the OP is getting calls from an international number. Calls from international numbers are not governed by TPS.

jhp

Paul_Varjak wrote: »

wantmemoney:

The things is that the OP is getting calls from an international number. Calls from international numbers are not governed by TPS.

http://www.guardian.co.uk/technology/2008/dec/11/caller-id-faking-fraud

"
There is some hope. Although the Telephone Preference Service does not protect consumers from unscrupulous overseas companies, the use of recorded messages (automated calls) requires prior consent under the Privacy and Electronic Communication Regulations 2003.
Since July, the Information Commissioner's Office has had 600 complaints where it's been unable to identify such callers and 1,200 calls about automated calls in general. "We're looking into these calls and we are investigating the complaints we have received," says the ICO which may contact US authorities."

GiraffePC

mikeopvc wrote: »

I can't change my number as it's a business line also so it would be a nightmare for me what with ads, stationary, vehicle signage etc.

What is "choose to refuse" and how effective is it?

Choose to Refuse seems to be touted by ISPs and costs money:

"Choose to Refuse for a residential line with LowerCall, costs £3.35 per month including VAT. For a standard business line the cost is £3.35+VAT per month."

from http://www.lowercall.com/choosetorefuse.html

GiraffePC

cepheus wrote: »

Not sure if this is any use, is it a subscription service? Claims 50% of calls avoid TPS

http://www.optoutuk.com/

Not sure if I trust that site - it appears to be OK but I couldn't find any mention of a charge. I looked at the TaCs (didn't read the lot!) and 'pay' or 'payment' wasn't in there.
It might become apparent after filling in all of your personal details

Katykat

Thought I would ad to this. My OH got a call saying it was the Halifax & wanted to speak to me. He said I wasn't in, they rang off ( it was a foreign voice, possibly a call centre in India) OH dialled 1471 & got the number. Since then they have phoned several times, 3 times today. The number is 0844 5810316. I've googled it and came across this site http://whocallsme.com/Phone-Number.aspx/08445810316/2. It seems it is a company called First Assist, & they are selling insurance. Cant make out why they hang up, but it definately seems like a scam. At the very least it is really annoying to have to keep answering the phone, & no one's there. Does anyone know how to stop the calls. We are Xd & on TPS, so obviously they've got around that little hurdle.