Scam watch: bombarded by phoney ‘market research’ calls

No doubt this scam centre has a few thousand phone numbers, so that blocking one just leads to another. Once again, the scam caller is a persistent nuisance and is something that is difficult for an individual to stop. The victim may know about the scam, but he/she is getting no help to get rid of the caller/s. I get a spate of these every so often and then none for a bit. Fortunately I can recognise them instantly and hang up, within seconds, but having to answer the phone is annoying when I’m busy. My old phone automatically went to answer-phone after three rings, my current one doesn’t.
One useful tip: If the caller says “Hello” and doesn’t identify him/herself immediately, hang up. If it is important or someone who really wants you they will ring again. Scam callers seldom ring twice if the first attempt fails.

I have seen a significant rise in these so called market research calls in recent weeks and have identified many that originate from the rogue companies that intend to engage in scams at a later date. The information obtained is used to commit fraud and intended to fool consumers into believing that calls received at a later date are from their current provider.

These calls are of course in breach of legislation when made to numbers registered with the Telephone Preference Service.

The calls I have received usually take the format of the caller stating they will be quick and simply wish to ask 5 quick questions about a particular topic. These topics cover a variety of services or goods such as broadband services, mobile services, banking and home appliances etc.

The caller will typically ask questions such as which broadband provider a customer uses, what package they are subscribed too, the monthly cost and how long they have used that provider. This information is then used at a later date to commit fraud.

A consumer will receive a call weeks later from a scammer introducing themselves as the customers broadband provider, advising them that an overpayment of their broadband service has been made in error, of the monthly amount the scammer already knows and they are due a refund. The customer would be asked to confirm their bank or card details in order for the refund to be processed. As the caller introduces themselves as the correct provider and knows how much the customer pays each month, customers are fooled into believing the call is genuine and will often freely disclose their bank or card details.

This is also now occurring with rogue home appliance warranty and service plan companies. Consumers receive market research calls asking about home appliances, their preferred product manufacturers, what products they own, the makes of these products, if they have extended warranties and who provides those warranties. Weeks later the customer receives a call from the scammer introducing themselves as the customers warranty provider and advising their extended warranty or service plan is due for renewal. Alternatively, customers are advised an overpayment was made in error and the customer is due a refund. The caller will ask for bank or card details to ensure the customers payment information is up to date in order to renew the plan or issue the refund.

Being aware of these calls I have put their tactics to the test on several occasions. Having received a market research call about home appliances I engaged with the caller providing false information about appliances I own, telling the caller I owned a Hotpoint washing machine, Beko fridge freezer and a Panasonic microwave, of which the washing machine had a warranty from a well known provider.

Weeks later I received a call claiming to be the well known warranty provider, advising the warranty for my Hotpoint washing machine was due for renewal and they required payment Card details to ensure my payment information was up to date. The caller then asked if I would like to add my Beko fridge freezer and Panasonic microwave to the plan at further cost. I acted surprised, asking how they knew I had these appliances. The caller replied by stating my other appliances were discussed when I set up the washing machine plan and they were noted on file even though I decided not to take cover for those at the time. This I imagine would convince and fool many.

My advice is not to engage with market research callers and avoid disclosing any information whatsoever. Politely refuse and if the caller is persistent then simply hang up.

I would also encourage consumers to report calls of this nature to the ICO (Information Commissioners Office), which you can do online relatively quickly. Consumers who have their number registered with the Telephone Preference Service should also report this to the TPS.

To my mind there is a legislative loophole that allows ‘market research’ calls to be exempt from the prohibition of ‘cold calling’.

Registration with the TPS gives theoretical protection from nuisance calls but rogues don’t comply with rules.

The scamming industry feeds off information gathered by various means and I expect our digital footprint contributes much of it through cookies and the sophisticated analytics in so many on-line activities.

Building up a profile of every household and its possessions is no doubt the aim of the intermediaries behind the front-end scammers as that is their stock in trade which they can package and sell to the pests who ring us up and try to con us.