As COVID-19 lockdown measures start to ease, National Trading Standards (NTS) is predicting a rise in scam telephone calls as illegitimate call centres around the world get back to work. To coincide with the expected surge in telephone scams, NTS is offering 700 free call blockers on a first-come-first-served basis for households looking to prevent nuisance calls.
A recent survey, which examined the impact of call blockers provided by NTS three months after installation, found that 92% of users no longer received scam or nuisance calls and 95% of users no longer felt threatened or scared by these types of calls. By using a call blocker to prevent scam and nuisance calls from reaching users in the first place, 88% of respondents felt safer in their home and 83% of people no longer worried about losing money from a scam call.
The call blocker units supplied are the trueCall Secure call blockers – the same devices that have been used in previous NTS pilot programmes.
Louise Baxter, Head of the National Trading Standards Scams Team, said: “Scam callers are relentless and often leave their intended victims feeling scared, anxious and unsafe in their own homes. Our pilot call blocker schemes have already shown the effectiveness of call blockers in protecting households from potential scams and the distress that these types of calls can cause. This technology can make a real difference to the quality of life and emotional wellbeing of people who are targeted by nuisance or scam calls.”
Members of the public who feel threatened by scam and nuisance calls can apply for a free call blocker from NTS here: www.friendsagainstscams.org.uk/callblocker. To minimise the need for technicians to enter people’s homes, devices available through this pilot will need to be self-installed.
