Unsolicited Call From (presumed) Broker

flaneurs_lobster

https://forums.moneysavingexpert.com/discussion/comment/82080634#Comment_82080634

Report who to the ICO? For what exactly?

Read the OP, they got a call asking about a BG account and the name of a relative.

That's all, everything else is speculation about what the call might have been about and who has "leaked" the OP's secret mobile number to some cold-callers.

Ectophile

https://forums.moneysavingexpert.com/discussion/comment/82080642#Comment_82080642

The"who" may be the tricky bit. The "for what" is keeping your personal data without any lawful reason. The Data Protection Act specifies why a business may keep information about you.

flaneurs_lobster

https://forums.moneysavingexpert.com/discussion/comment/82080646#Comment_82080646

Lawful reason for holding a personal phone number? Marketing.

Ectophile

https://forums.moneysavingexpert.com/discussion/comment/82080651#Comment_82080651

That's not one of the lawful reasons given in the Data Protection Act. If they are a customer, recent ex-customer or someone has contacted you because they are thinking of becoming a customer, then that's another matter. But having someone's details from some dodgy mailing list isn't legal.

luci

https://forums.moneysavingexpert.com/discussion/comment/82080820#Comment_82080820

"perhaps a response along the lines of "I'm sorry, we don't use British Gas, we use Scottish Power" Bingo!"

Probably not a good idea. Next you will get a call purporting to be from "Scottish Power".

QrizB

I occasionally receive (& answer) unsolicited calls from chancers wanting to "inspect" or "service" my solar panels.

I tell them we don't have solar panels, they must be misinformed.

That throws them off their script and they hang up.

debitcardmayhem

https://forums.moneysavingexpert.com/discussion/comment/82081013#Comment_82081013

I have only had one I told them I live in a basement flat

Qyburn

Thanks. I'm not interested in complaining to the ICO, especially as I didn't even get the caller's company name.

I'm more interested in the leakage from BG. Particularly the inaccuracy, associating my mobile number but the correct name. Reference to BG might have been a lucky guess I suppose, but risky because opening with that line guarantees their failure if cold calling someone not supplied by BG.

WiserMiser

Suspecting and proving are two very different things, as Prince Harry discovered to his cost.

flaneurs_lobster

https://forums.moneysavingexpert.com/discussion/comment/82081031#Comment_82081031

BG have just shy of 30% of the UK domestic gas market, pretty fair hit rate to cold call with.

I think you are making too much of a straight-up cold-call.