Top tips for dealing with nuisance callers

We Never Cold Call Campaign

Updated: 20/06/23

Top tips for dealing with nuisance callers

Cold calls are a nightmare.

As the call goes on you feel more and more frustrated and when you try to find out where they got your number from there is never a straight answer. There is often a promise to remove you from their list and then a week later they are calling you again.

Well, Digby Brown does not cold call.

In fact, we are with the majority of the public in that we want cold calling to stop.

Who makes cold calls and why do they want to phone me?

At Digby Brown, we never make cold calls to the public and only call our clients after they’ve contacted us first. Unfortunately, this is not the case with many organisations, who will bombard many of us with nuisance calls we don’t want after they’ve got hold of our phone numbers.

Sales companies use cold calling to contact people about their products, whether it be regarding a potential insurance claim or even personal injury compensation – these callers are looking to sell you something.

How did they get my number?

Be careful when you are filling in online forms – there are usually tick boxes that allow you to opt-out from receiving marketing and sales material from companies.

If you don’t opt-out, you may have given the organisation permission to contact you over the phone.

If you didn’t provide a company with your number, then you shouldn’t be receiving any calls from them at all. Callers that phone you trying to sell you something you don’t want or need, or automated voice recordings claiming you are due compensation are prime examples of nuisance calls that should be reported. These companies should not be contacting you unless you’ve told them that they can.

How do I get them to stop?

Depending on the type of call there are a number of ways to report a cold call, and data from the Information Commissioner’s Office shows that 103,733 complaints were made in 2020 alone.

The good news is that you can stop cold callers from contacting you. Here are our top tips for getting rid of nuisance callers from both landlines and mobile phones.

Stop cold calls on landlines

Register for the Telephone Preference Service (TPS) – the TPS is a register of numbers that opts your landline number out of live sales and marketing calls. If you are registered then companies are legally required to check the database before cold calling you. It’s a simple online form and it doesn’t cost anything to join the register. You also only have to register once.

Speak to your phone provider – your phone provider may be able to block unwanted calls from overseas, withheld numbers or numbers that they have listed as cold callers. There may be a charge to use this service if it is something your provider can offer. It is important to be aware that often legitimate services such as hospitals call from a withheld number, so you may miss these calls.

Buy a call blocker – a call blocker is a device that you attach to your landline which will block a variety of call types including withheld numbers. Some phones may already have this built in so it is worth checking this first. As above if you block withheld numbers from your landline you may also miss some legitimate calls from organisations such as hospitals.

Screen your calls – some providers offer a service where you can find out who’s calling before you answer allowing you to find out in advance who is trying to reach you. This if often either through caller ID or through a voicemail service. You can then decide whether or not you want to proceed with the call.

Changing to ex-directory – you can remove your number from the phone directory as in some cases companies will use this to build up a contact list. You will need to contact your landline supplier and they will be able to set this up for you.

Stop cold calls to your mobile

Register for the TPS – did you know that even on your mobile you can register for TPS? You simply text “TPS” to 85095. There should be no charge to send this message or to receive confirmation. Once registered you will receive a confirmation text to confirm that you have been added successfully.

Blocking cold callers – most mobile phone handsets will allow you the option to block a caller preventing them from calling you again. This is different on each handset so it is worth checking how to do this on whatever handset you own.

Blocking “spam” texts – if you recognise the business sending you these texts whether it is a full mobile number or shortcode (a number only 5 digits long), then you can reply with the word STOP and you should be removed from their list. However, if you do not recognise the sender or are unsure then you can report the text to your network by forwarding the message to 7726, there is no charge for sending these on.

If you are receiving unsolicited calls from a company that you wish to have no involvement with, report them to the Telephone Preference Service or the Information Commissioner’s office who will contact the company and take action where necessary. Try to have details about the call to hand, such as the company’s name, the date and time they phoned you, and their phone number.

  • Telephone preference service - 0345 070 0707
  • Information Commissioner’s office - 0303 123 1115

How do cold call companies get my number?

This is always a source of frustration for people. But the reality is that in most cases your data has probably been collected following a visit to a certain website or if you’ve agreed to the terms and conditions of a product or service.

In all cases, it is helpful to look out for opt-in or out boxes anywhere that you are required to provide your number. This could be when looking for a new insurance quote or using a price comparison website. It is really important to read the text alongside these boxes as it isn’t always a simple “tick here if you do not want to be contacted”.

Simply put if the box is to opt-in then if you tick the box you are agreeing that you can be contacted, and if the box is to opt out then you are agreeing to be contacted if you do not tick the box. This can be the difference between your number being shared or not with companies who cold call.

Is it safe to buy something from a cold caller?

If you do want to purchase something from the caller, be careful before giving out any financial information.

Unfortunately, telephone scams are not uncommon. Despite the persuasive nature of most cold callers, do not let them pressure you to provide any information.

If their product is something you are interested in, why not visit the company’s website first and do some research? If you suspect suspicious activity, inform your telephone provider immediately or contact Action Fraud. Action Fraud have an online registration process that will allow you to submit a suspected fraud report and call them to discuss your situation.

Although cold calling is still legal in the UK it doesn’t make it any less irritating or unwanted for those of us on the receiving end. It’s important to be aware of how you can deal with unwanted cold callers and the organisations you can contact to cut down the amount of nuisance calls you receive.

Be wary of who you provide your details to and if you don’t want to be contacted by companies be sure to opt-out of receiving marketing and sales calls on online forms.

Be wary of providing personal details, and carefully consider providing a phone number if a website asks for it.

Make sure you register with the TPS, and report any potentially dangerous calls to Action Fraud.

Digby Brown does not cold call - we only call people who contacted us first.

So if you have received such contact then we want you to get in touch so we can investigate this further.

Your privacy matters. And that matters to Digby Brown.