Being harassed by "insurance company"

JamesN

Hi there, not sure if this was the right place to post but this is closest match i could find.

Basically, yesterday i had 3 phone calls and so far today i've had 4 phone calls from this place. I can't wholly remember the name because their accent was difficult to understand but it's something compensation bureau.

Anyway, they keep ringing saying that they need to send us compensation as we claimed for it because we had an accident in the past year. Which is not true, there has been no accident and no claim for any compensation.

We tell them this yet they still keep ringing all the time. My mum is currently not very well and all this stressing her out is not helping.

Any advice on what i should do?

oh, and i asked to speak to his manager and he said he was the manager, so i asked to speak to a senior manager, of which there were none. Funny that they'd have a manager ringing around for claims rather than a customer service team.

Thanks for any help!

Dave101t

give them totally bogus info,
Name: Mickey Mouse
Address: 23, the Moon.

etc, until they go away!

Badger_Lady

It's usually just a very specific instruction: "please don't call me again - remove me from your list".

They are then obliged to opt you out of communications... if they breach it, you can report them to the Information Commissioner (try to get some information, such as the number they're calling from).

fluffnutter

JamesN, there are a number of companies like this. They call speculatively (i.e. cold call) and they're a real nuisance. There are a few things you can do right now. Sign your number up with the telephone preference service (this should stop all cold calls but it will take a while for your number to be removed from every cold call list). The webpage is http://www.tpsonline.org.uk/tps. If they call again, advise your number's registered with tps and that they should remove you from their list. If this doesn't work and they keep calling, the best way to deal directly with the calls is just to walk away (don't hang up just walk away from the phone).

If the number's coming up on 1471 or on your mobile, you can search on the number on http://whocallsme.com/. This won't prevent the calls but will give you an indication of who's calling. This way you can report the company to tps if they keep on calling. All the details of how to report calls are on the tps webpage.

This is a really common problem so try not to feel too distressed about it. Be very clear that they're not to call again, tell them you're registered with tps and don't get embroiled in a discussion.

cyberbob

Badger_Lady wrote: »

I
They are then obliged to opt you out of communications... if they breach it, you can report them to the Information Commissioner (try to get some information, such as the number they're calling from).

Not if it's an international call. From the OP description that they want to pay compensation it sounds like a scam and they are fishing for personal data. So more than likely it will be an international number

JamesN

yea my mother made the mistake of giving them her name and address. I have told them several times to not call again and they say ok we will call again tomorrow. To which i reply you won't. Don't call again and then i hang up.

Unfortunately, 1471 yields no numbers.

He says he has to keep ringing because he cant "close" the account. I said i'd ring the police and he said please do.

fluffnutter

JamesN wrote: »

yea my mother made the mistake of giving them her name and address. I have told them several times to not call again and they say ok we will call again tomorrow. To which i reply you won't. Don't call again and then i hang up.

Unfortunately, 1471 yields no numbers.

He says he has to keep ringing because he cant "close" the account. I said i'd ring the police and he said please do.

Hmm, they sound nastier than I assumed. Do you live there? Or is this your mum's house? They're really trying because they've seen a chink - your mum's given them some details so she's now on their 'soft target' list. Can you try to make sure someone else answers the phone for a while? Everytime they call, walk away, don't give them any more details. Don't engage with them AT ALL.

What does 1471 say? Is it 'the caller withheld their number' or 'we do not have the caller's number'? Get on to your service provider; they might be able to help by either blocking this number (if they can find out what it is) or alternatively by blocking all unknown and withheld numbers. Might be drastic but it will solve your problem.

JamesN

yea i live here, i'm on answering the phone duty but if i'm not in i've told her to tell them to f off and hang up.

erm not sure on the 1471 thing but will check next time they ring if they do.

Thanks for the advice

diggerman123

answer the phone saying " ******* police how can i help you ? " substitute the stars for your local nick. it worked for me with swinton ...........................

MothballsWallet

Or say "This is Mr P Enis" - it was in the Sun a few years ago about a guy who was actually called Peter Enis, and he legally changed his surname to "Dennis"...

st999

What about Thomas Paxton?

Not a nice name to have in Scotland

Tam Pax