New crackdown launched on cold callers
26th April 2016

Another major step in the battle against phone scammers and other nuisance cold callers was taken yesterday with the launch of a new law forcing direct marketing organisations to display their phone numbers.

The move, initiated by Data Protection Minister Baroness Neville Rolfe, was immediately welcomed by the glazing industry as well as consumer bodies.

The Department for Culture, Media and Sport said in a statement that the law will include UK companies using overseas call centres. A spokesperson for the Department also confirmed to The Glazine that the Information Commissioner’s Office will be able to trace calls where a homeowner reports no number has been displayed.

Baroness Neville Rolfe said: “We’re sending a clear message to rogue direct marketing companies. Nuisance calls are unacceptable and we will not hesitate to take action against the companies behind them.”

The last change to the law was 12 months ago when consumers no longer needed to prove that cold calls were causing ‘substantial distress and damage’ before a company could be fined. The result was that the ICO was able to issue fines totalling £2million as against only £360,000 in the previous 12 months.

ICO Head of Enforcement, Steve Eckersley said of the latest move: “Any change that make it easier for us to track down and take action against companies making nuisance calls is a change that will reduce the annoyance these calls cause. And when people are able to identify the number behind the call they’ve received, they’re more likely to complain to us and that means we’re more able to take action.

The Glass & Glazing Federation welcomed the move, saying it will create a level playing field as its members are already bound by its own ruled to disclose their numbers. Brian Smith, its Director of Home Improvements, said: “The GGF Consumer Code of Practice, recently approved by the Chartered Trading Standards Institute, already includes the stipulation that when making unsolicited telephone canvass calls, the Member company will provide the correct Calling Line Identification (CLI) to which the consumer may make a return call. The CLI must be a valid telephone number which is not premium rate.

“We therefore welcome this move by the Government because CLI will make a level playing field for all companies registered in the UK undertaking any telecanvass calls, including those using call centres based abroad.”

Which? Executive director Richard Lloyd, said: “This is another important victory in the fight against nuisance calls. With marketing firms now being forced to display their numbers when making calls, it will make it much easier for people to report them and enforcement action to be taken when companies break the law.

As well as the nuisance factor, many calls involve scams or lies. Last July, the GGF warned of false claims that it was funding a window scrappage scheme (read here) while others have claimed connections with major window industry companies such as glass manufacturers.