Unsolicited phonecalls (a rant and a question!)

tamsworld

Morning everyone, just to forewarn you, Im a bit grumpy today!

I keep receiving calls from unknown numbers on my mobile phone, and I mean over and over and over.

I can't block or ignore unknown number calls as my boss's number is witheld, and I am also waiting for calls from prospective employers, so I have to answer it every blooming time it rings.

There are two particular reasons why it is bothering me so much:

1) The callers keep asking for my ex partner!!! We have been seperated for almost 4 years, and i dont want my number to be associated with him!

2) I have traced the sold contact information back to my local council!!!!!

The reason I know it was the local council from where I used to live is because the latest call I got today (which was for mis-sold PPI claiming) the caller asked for Mr Tam Lin. Well, this is an abbreviation of my full name, and I know that I only ever used this alias to sign up to one thing - I used this years ago to sign up for a local Street Campaign with the local council. I have never used this alias before or since then. And now various companies (PPI mis-selling, Loan insurance mis-selling, accident claims helplines, etc) have received this information almost 4 years later, and have confirmed that they buy this informaiton from companies, but funnily enough nobody will tell me WHO they bought it from.

Well, now I know! How do I go about complaining to the local council, and are they allowed to do this? Any ideas anyone?

Grrrrrrrr to junk calls. The bain of my life at the moment :mad:

fluffnutter

I expect this has come from the electoral roll. There are two versions - the full version and the edited version. The full version, which contains everyone, is only available to certain groups and individuals, the edited version, which only contains those who haven't opted out, is available to all. To preserve some degree of privacy, make sure you only appear on the full version by deliberately opting out.

Having said that, credit reference agencies are entitled to obtain the full version so your name and address can be obtained this way, even if you've opted out. It wouldn't surprise me if loan companies etc. can then get this information via credit reference agencies.

Additionally, the edited register is a fairly recent option (since 2002) so some companies, e.g. 192.com do still have information about people who've since opted out of the full register but still appear due to their not having moved since 2002.

You appear to have two problems - calls for your ex and calls for you and they'll need handling differently.

1. Your ex. Make sure the electoral roll is correct and that he no longer appears as living at your property. If anyone calls for him, take the company name, inform that they have the wrong number and any further attempts to contact him using your details will be treated as harassment and reported to the police and the ICO. It may take patience but if you're firm, they should eventually stop.

2. Your details. Almost everyone gets sales calls from claim and insurance companies. If it's a text, ignore it. DON'T reply STOP. It will merely let them know your number's active and it will be sold on to even more companies. Register your number with the TPS, link here. If anyone calls tell them to remove you from your list. Be VERY careful about who you give your number to. If you're doing online shopping and you provide an email address, why do they also need your number? Use a fake one if it's a mandatory field. If you have particular problems with a known number, you can ask your phone provider to block it.

Re. your original question about complaining to the council, no, you can't. Particularly if you appear on the full register, as anyone can buy a copy.

Takecareofthepennies

Fluff -

I believe the OP was referring to calls to her mobile - and that no. wouldn't be on the electoral roll info.

Your advice as per 1. & 2. is still sound of course.

fluffnutter

Takecareofthepennies wrote: »

Fluff -

I believe the OP was referring to calls to her mobile - and that no. wouldn't be on the electoral roll info.

Your advice as per 1. & 2. is still sound of course.

I thought about that after I posted. I agree that the number won't be on the electoral roll, but she's confident that her address has come from the council, hence the question about complaining to the council (which I tried to answer).

As to how they got the number, who knows? But it only takes one database to hold address plus number and, bingo, the whole world knows it. Companies can get the address from the electoral roll which then leads to the number...

tamsworld

Thank you Fluffnutter and Takecareofthepennies for your help and info. Im still a little confused though, as the house where we lived together has been sold, and I havent lived there for over 3 years! We are most definitely not on the electoral roll there.

I've since received many more nuisance calls, and have decided that now even I just wont answer withheld or unknown numbers. It's so very annoying - its my phone and I shouldnt have to screen my calls!!

fluffnutter

Nightmare! Problem is you'll probably never get to the bottom of it, all you can do is deal with the symptoms. Somehow your number's out there on numerous lists linked to both your ex and to some inaccurate details for you.

If it gets really bad, you can consider changing your number. You need to weigh up the hassle of telling legitimate people your new number (a particular pain if you use your mobile for work) against how much of a nuisance these calls are.

It's easy for me - I'm not working at the moment and I have no friends!

Beamer525

You can register your no with TPS, im sure they cover mobiles.It may take a few weeks to kick in though.Since I registered both home and mobile with TPS the unwanted calls are now a thing of the past, well almost.I still get the odd one from time to time and if I have nothing better to do I just string them along for a bit.
I kept one bloke from India going for for 30 mins regarding some viruses he said I was downloading before telling him it was my dads pc and I would pass the info on to him when he got home.:money::money: