Endless nuisance calls can be extremely annoying. People, nowadays, are wondering why do they get so many spam calls after all? Well, if you are asking the same question, the short answer is Marketing and Frauds. These are the two major contributors for nuisance calls. According to the data, nuisance calls have increased exponentially in the past few years. This data correlates with the increase in scams, frauds and marketing trends. Let’s take a deeper look into why these spam calls are getting out of hand. Moreover, we will also discuss what you can do to stop them. There are also new laws that can help reduce the amount of spam calls.

Why are Nuisance Calls increasing?

According to a report by the Telegraph, there were more than 1.5 billion nuisance calls in the first 4 months of 2021. Out of these calls, more than 50% of them are likely to be fraudulent. The numbers of spam calls have increased by 30% month for month. The UK saw more than 450 million calls in April 2021, compared to 251 million just 2 months before. Each person in the UK receives, on average, 7 nuisance calls a month. Phone companies and the government are working hard to stop frauds. Yet, last year the scammers stole more than £479 million from the British Citizens. The most popular of these scams include tax frauds. The scammers pretend to be government officials and try to get personal information or money from the listener.

Moreover, amidst the COVID-19 pandemic, the fraudsters have taken full advantage of the situation. The most common nuisance calls, during the pandemic, involved scams related to the HMRC and the Nation Insurance. You can read more about National Insurance scam on this blog.

Furthermore, marketing calls also dramatically increased during the pandemic. Cold calling became a top choice for marketing companies as the people usually worked from home. Marketing companies are able to get a hold of your phone numbers through different sources. You can read How do companies get my phone number, to get more information on that.

How do I stop getting marketing calls on my Phone?

If you are tired of these colds calls and potential scams, you must want them to stop. Well, the most effective solution to this problem is to register with the Telephone Preference Service (TPS).

So, what happens when you register with the TPS? It will now be illegal to call you, without your permission, for marketing purposes. However, if you have given your permission to a marketing organization to call you, that will still hold even if you register with the TPS.

You can register with the TPS through their online registration portal. The requirements are simple. You would need to provide your phone number, postal code and an email address. You can register your cell phone number as well as your landline number. Once you have registered with TPS, please wait 28 days for the preference service to start. If you still receive a marketing call after that, you can submit a formal complaint against that company. Strict action will taken against companies that illegally call TPS registered phone numbers. You can register your complaint on the online TPS complaint portal.

Can I block nuisance callers on my phone?

Registering with the TPS is effective; however, it only works against live and automated marketing calls. If you want to stop silent and other scam calls, you might want to block them yourself. There are several ways you can do that. The most effective method is to install a spam call blocker such as TrueCaller or Hiya.

These apps are able to detect spam number using their community based database. These apps will intercept these calls and block them; thus, keeping you safe. Moreover, you can also block these spam phone numbers yourself. Both iPhone and Android have built-in phone blockers. For detailed information, you can read our article: Best ways to stop nuisance calls.

How to block cold calls on landline phone?

As we mentioned above, you can block live and robotic marketing calls on your landline by registering with the TPS. However, you are still likely to receive scam and fraud calls on your landline. Fortunately, the phone providers do offer their own services that can block these calls. Most of the times these services are offered for free; however, it may vary for each provider. Big phone providers such as BT and Sky, offer great nuisance call blockers. BT Call Protect and Sky Talk Shield, respectively. These services work through community-based blacklists. Therefore, the phone provider can detect and intercept the potential scam calls and block them. Some phone providers can even ask the caller to record an introduction. These blockers work great to stop the calls not covered under TPS.

Are there any laws against nuisance calls?

There are many new laws being introduced in the UK to control the surge of nuisance calls. Law breakers are also fined hundreds of thousand pounds on a regular basis. A marketing company can be fined up to £500,000 for illegally calling residents of the United Kingdom.

If you want to take stricter action, you can register a complaint with the Information Commissioner’s Office. Make sure that you provide all the details regarding the nuisance callers to the ICO. A company can’t call you without permission about PPI or personal injury claims. If they do, the ICO can fine them up to half a million pounds.