Have you been cold called about ‘home appliance insurance’?

Hi Steve. Thanks for sharing the callers number.

Targeting the elderly is a common tactic of these rogue companies and they will ignore requests not to call again. Number spoofing is often used to avoid detection, so it can be difficult to determine the true identity of the caller.

However, the Authorities are taking action against these rogue companies thanks to reports from consumers and it remains essential that consumers continue to report calls of this nature. Just a small number of reports will prompt the Authorities to investigate and take action.

If you have not already done so, I would strongly recommend you report the number to the ICO. If your number is registered with the Telephone Preference Service you should also report this to the TPS. It’s relatively quick to submit reports online and action by the Authorities may prevent others from being scammed. Links for both the ICO and TPS can be found on previous posts.

Hi Roger, thanks for sharing details of the call.

Over the last 12 months the Authorities have taken significant steps to tackle rogue companies, which is partly due to reports from consumers. It remains essential that consumers report calls of this nature. Just a small number of reports will prompt the Authorities to investigate and take action.

If you have not already done so, I would strongly recommend you report the number to the ICO. If your number is registered with the Telephone Preference Service you should also report this to the TPS. It’s relatively quick to submit reports online and action by the Authorities may prevent others from being scammed. Links for both the ICO and TPS can be found on previous posts.

Hi Terry, sorry to hear your Aunt is receiving persistent calls of this nature. These rogue domestic appliance insurance and service cover companies can be relentless and its quite shocking they called your Aunt again after you told them not to call again.

The best way to prevent this is by reporting the callers number to the Authorities. If you have not already done so, I would strongly recommend you report the number to the ICO. If your Aunt’s number is registered with the Telephone Preference Service you should also report this to the TPS. It’s relatively quick to submit reports online and action by the Authorities may prevent others from being scammed. Links for both the ICO and TPS can be found on previous posts.

It only requires a small number of reports for the Authorities to investigate and take action.

Hi Dawn. Sorry to hear you are receiving sustained calls from this company.

The best way to prevent this is by reporting the callers number to the Authorities. If you have not already done so, I would strongly recommend you report the number to the ICO. If your number is registered with the Telephone Preference Service you should also report this to the TPS. It’s relatively quick to submit reports online and it only requires a small number of reports for the Authorities to investigate and take action.

Links for both the ICO and TPS can be found on previous posts.

Hi Maggie. Thanks for sharing your experience and sorry to hear you felt intimidated by the call. You did the right thing by ending the call.

These rogue callers use a variety of tactics to obtain money fraudulently, such as convincing consumers they are under obligation to renew a policy which doesn’t exist or threats of a debt collection agency if they fail to pay. Their sole objective is to obtain Bank or Card details in order to obtain money fraudulently and they will use whatever methods necessary to achieve this. These are abhorrent individuals who are breaking the law and the only way to tackle calls of this nature is by reporting the calling number to the Authorities.

As highlighted in previous posts, if you have a record of the calling number, I would encourage you to report this to the ICO. If your number is registered with the Telephone Preference Service you should also report this to the TPS.

Hi Joanne. Sorry to hear your Father has been contacted by what sounds to be a rogue caller.

Assuming they provided the correct company name, the company was only incorporated in January 2021 and therefore have a relatively short trading history. The usual tactic of rogue companies offering household appliance service plans is to convince consumers they have a policy which is due for renewal, often suggesting they are the current provider or acting on behalf of the current provider. Their sole objective is to obtain Bank or Card details using misrepresentation which is an act of fraud.

The offer of a refund would suggest this is the latest tactic to obtain Bank or Card details. Many consumers that have home appliance service plans or extended warranties might be fooled into thinking the offer of a refund is genuine and no doubt the caller will ask for the Bank or Card details to process the refund. But of course, the payment information provided will be used to obtain money instead of a refund being issued.

The only way to tackle these rogue companies is by reporting the calling number to the Authorities. It only requires a small number of reports for the Authorities to investigate and take action.

I would encourage you to report the calling number to the ICO. If your Father’s number is registered with the Telephone Preference Service you should also report this to the TPS. It’s relatively quick to submit reports online and in doing so it will assist the Authorities to take action and may prevent others from being scammed.

Hi David. Thank you for sharing your experience.

In order to avoid UK Legislation, many rogue companies operate call centres from overseas or will employ third party call centres for their cold calling operations. This is an intentional act to side step UK laws and avoid prosecution. Although the call may appear to originate from a UK number, the calls are being made from overseas call centres and number spoofing is used to fool consumers.

I have encountered a Moroccan based call centre with a similar name to that you discovered when calling the number.

Regardless of whether the call originated from the UK or overseas, I would encourage you to report the calling number to the ICO. If your number is registered with the Telephone Preference Service you should also report this to the TPS.

The only way to tackle these rogue companies is by reporting the calling number to the Authorities. Reports from consumers assists the Authorities to gather vital intelligence, investigate and where possible take action.

Reports can be submitted online relatively quickly, links for both can be found on previous posts.

Hi Adrian, the most effective way to tackle these rogue companies is to report the calling number to the Authorities.

You can of course string them along first and waste their time if they call back, but when they realise they have been rumbled, be prepared for some colourful language. When challenged, it is common for these rogue callers to become rude, aggressive and threatening, so you might want to keep a set of ear defenders at hand.

If you have not already done so, I would encourage you to report the calling number to the ICO. If your number is registered with the Telephone Preference Service you should also report this to the TPS. It’s relatively quick to submit reports online and in doing so it will assist the Authorities to investigate and take action.

Hi Peter, the most effective way to tackle these rogue companies and stop calls of this nature is to report the calling number to the Authorities.

If you have not already done so, I would encourage you to report the calling number to the ICO. If your number is registered with the Telephone Preference Service you should also report this to the TPS. It’s relatively quick to submit reports online and in doing so it will assist the Authorities to investigate and take action.