Guy Opperman MP: together we can stop pension scammers

These scammers are a plague. When they are caught they do not get severe enough sentences. They cost everyone money whether it is a pension scam or other,and you do not have to be involved in a scam. It costs money for your virus protection.
I’m sure the internet suppliers such as B T could do more to eliminate these people and the government could send them to prison for say 30 yrs minimum instead of treating them as naughty children or refusing to extradite them as a fairly recent case shows.

Stop making electoral register info available to anyone other than the council and perhaps other government bodies. The companies that buy lists are very often too pushy with pensioner’s. I personally don’t think these lists should be sold. It’s private and personal information. Not everyone realises they can opt out, that part could be bigger and clearer and fully and clearly explained.

Its a start but it will not stop callers from overseas who are generally immune to UK law. More needs to be done

Stop all cold calling regardless of what the product or service is, we’re not stupid if we want something we can sort it out ourselves. The phone companies could also help stop these scammers because they should notice the same or similar telephone numbers repeatedly calling their customers, like the banks do. We have friends and family numbers so most phone companies would recognise these.

The company issuing these scamming telephone numbers to fraudsters should be made to repay all the money they’ve scammed out of people plus jail the CEO and his staff should be jailed for 25 years each.

All the phone companies need to fight this fraud together.

I feel the telephone companies should do more to stop these calls, they certainly know when and to who my calls are made, they never miss a single phone call on my bill, I don’t know how these scammers can get away without paying their bills; In which case they should know who is making these calls and hold them to account, or stop anyone without a paying telephone number making calls at all! They seem to have the technology for almost anything else.

Any change in legislation intended should already at the wording think about possible misuse of the changes.
So, before it goes to any vote : let it be read by a person without legal training, in the 30 to 50 ties.
(Best would be naturally a person known for objecting to statements. If available).
Any paragraph , which gives rise to a question, has to be re-evaluated based on he content of the question.

The use of nearly similar names or emails is one of the first points to be fixed.

A nation wide education that when answering a telephone not using your name is in these days essential. “Good day!” should do.
Asking to repeat the name of the company has already led to many call s being ended by the caller; in my experience.

I think that while it is a good idea to ban the calls, emails etc about pensions; it would be worthwhile if this could be monitored to check that scammers are respecting the ban.

One of the main reasons why these scammers are successful is through the companies who sell on our details. Although it’s now too late it is where the government should have initially started and introduced legislation preventing this. There are now (and no-one knows how many) multiple companies in the UK and around the world who have our information and am sure sell them on to other companies when they no longer have a use for them.

The problem is not just for these scams, but the courts hands are tied by the law of the land. Criminals of many kinds aren’t bothered anymore about doing easy time.
My answer would be to have shorter sentences, but make it so miserable, they would cry themselves to sleep every night! We are far too soft! I am not advocating a return of the birch etc, but, all criminals should be made to work while incarcerated, without any television, games, iPads etc. If they won’t work, then they don’t eat! If I hadn’t worked there would have been no food on my table!
MAKE THEM PAY! Anything they own should be sold to compensate their victims! Let their family go without, not innocent people.
W.J.Findley

I had a Personal pension with Equitable Life from well before they got into financial trouble. Following 3 years of pension fund readjustment downwards, I was approached by a Pension advisor, pertaining to be associated with Equitable Life, offering to help sort out my position. As it turned out this was a highly leveraged commissioned advice, but I did find the whole process totally believable and proceeded. My pot of nearly £100,000 was moved to a North of England Wealth advisory company, then onto an Irish Bond administrator.
I have recently been advised that this highly speculative SIPP ( I had never been told it was going to be a SIPP) has now gone into administration with the prospect of zero monies outcome.
Although a government compensation of approx. £1500 for Equitable I am now left on a state pension, very much regretting being thrifty and saving for my senior years. Failure in this turmoil of Financial Reform , Lack of supervision by Government of this scam. Has been a painful cost to myself.