Cold calling

[malumbu]

Sorry if this has been raised before.

I am on the TPS which screens out the big companies cold calling. I of course still have several a week on my mobile and landline - fake accidents and that mortgage protection thingy being the main one.

In the past I tried to report dodgy calls but felt nothing was then done. The focus of many fraudsters ten years ago was to get you onto premium lines. Perhaps this is less common now.

But I was struck by two recent, very friendly calls, from British call centres with geographical numbers about my supposed recent accident. I advised the latter one to get a job where they were not deceiving people, but oddly they put the phone down.

This is not a nusiance call, this is encouraging someone to commit fraud. That is surely a criminal act. I doubt whether the police would take an action but before I make enquiries from my quite knowledgable network any views out there?

[Pickle]

Similarly, I've had a few in recent weeks from what appear to be UK numbers (one earlier this week was an 0207) about my supposed accident.

I'm registered with TPS too and it's been pretty effective up to now.

I ask to speak to a manager (after having a bit of fun asking how they know about my accident, can they forward me the details etc), at which point they always hang up.

[Seabag]

My response to the 'you had an accident recently' call

I answer 'the one I died in? yes I know, that one was bad"

The guy the other end was pwoppa flummoxed

[jenny pink]

when did you start TPS ....as it can take up to a month to start...I think after 2 years you've to re apply...if calls continue,try get the callers branch name & report to TPS...that's what they adviced me.....

the same goes for Postal preference....Jenny

as for persistent callers,a whistle works wonders..

[malumbu]

I went on TPS yonks ago. The calls from Anglia Windows before East Enders stopped. I haven't watched East Enders for ten years and this was a time when we still used our landlines.

Now I get most of the calls through my mobile. There is a difference between those overseas are many of the home based ones is that the latter make out you are a good mate of theirs, that you already have a relationship, call you by your first name, which catches you out for a few seconds.

Now I may have had PPI, there is clearly money our there to be claimed, so whilst I get annoyed I do understand. It did amuse me when a British call centre made our that I was stupid as of course i must have taken out PPI even though I knew that I hadn't. But any claim would still be done through the normal procedures. I couldn't fabricate a claim.

Unlike the fabricated accident.

[jenny pink]

you have to renew it every other year...

[Loz]

jenny pink Wrote:

-------------------------------------------------------

> you have to renew it every other year...

Not for residential lines...

http://www.tpsonline.org.uk/tps/mobile/question16.html

[DaveR]

I wouldn't interpret the calls as an encouragement to commit fraud. Claims farmers pay for details of vehicles and individuals that have been involved in accidents, and then call them up hoping to persuade them to claim (or if they have already claimed, to think of another head of loss they could claim for). The info they get isn't always reliable though, plus if they get desperate they might cold call on the basis that occasionally you get lucky and someone did have an accident recently. Generally though it doesn't make sense for them to try and generate entirely false claims - it's a lot more difficult than you might think, and insurance companies are actually very good at picking up fraud.

[mima08]

I've been getting the "recent accident" one lately - despite asking to be removed from any calling lists (and being with TPS). They even called my mobile while I was abroad! I certainly haven't had an accident in the last 10+ years, and it looks odd to have a spade of these calls in this area?

[Pugwash]

I just put the phone down on the accidents call. The ones selling double glazing I state that I am renting and my landlord is a skinflint. if they use my or my husbands surname I state they were former tenants and I do not know where they live