Uswitch comments on Ofcom’s latest pledge to crack down on scam calls and texts

Ernest Doku, telecoms expert at Uswitch.com, comments: “For millions of Brits, scam calls and texts have worsened in the last two years. We’ve relied on phones to keep us connected to family, friends and work, yet our reliance has also left us vulnerable to scammers seeking to take advantage.

“It is positive news to see Ofcom has committed to working with telecoms providers to reduce the number of suspicious texts and calls that we receive.

“Scammers are constantly using advanced technology to help bypass measures that phone companies take to tackle the issues, so it’s important that the regulator is working with providers to get ahead of these criminals.

“Ofcom must ensure that any efforts to stop the scourge of nuisance calls also focus on landline phones, as our own research found that scammers now represent more than a quarter of all calls to our landlines[1].

“The volume of these scam calls for landline customers now means that one in five customers actively avoid answering their phone in case it’s a nuisance call. 

“If you’re struggling with scam calls or texts, you can report them to your network operator or forward them to the ‘7726’ service. For landline customers, you can also register with the Telephone Preference Service, which is in place to cut down on the amount of telemarketing calls that you receive.

“Never give out personal details on the phone unless you are sure that the caller is legitimate. If you do suspect it is a scam, hang up immediately, check if it’s a genuine call by contacting an official number from the company that supposedly called and report it to Action Fraud if it’s not.”

Notes

1. Uswitch study: Brits hang up the landline