Personal Data on the Web

[Luddite]

May i suggest you simply register with the Telephone Preference Service?
Free, easy, and strips out most of the legitimate cold callers.

http://www.tpsonline.org.uk/tps/number_type.html

Some useful ICO guidance

http://www.ico.gov.uk/for_the_public/topic_specific_guides/marketing/calls.aspx

But...these tips might help (personally i go with no. 10)

http://www.vigay.com/misc/coldcallers.html

[Techno]

Thanks for that Luddite !

TPS ?......Used to use that when we lived in Notts......And it DID cut out the vast majority of 'inland' time wasters.....And it WAS great fun to let the caller have a couple of minutes of air time...Then ask the question "Have you heard of the TPS ?.....Well...I'm on it !"....Usually got a response of "Eeek"....and profuse apologies.

That was fun !

Trouble is, nowadays, I believe a lot of these call centres (scammers) are overseas...and don't give a flying you know what about TPS.

Nowadays I'm ex directory...so there should be no way I should get 'spoof/phishing' calls......UNLESS....The caller is using a random call generator....Or some 'peasant' has put my number down on some form or other before we moved here.....I have my ideas as to who that might have been....Never mind.

Caller display ?.....Yep...got that.....Though the phone in the kitchen is just about unreadable  ....Sods' Law.

Other problem is that some of our friends have caller display blocked on their outgoing calls.....So we do get genuine calls where I can't tell who's calling.....The silver haired Mother in law is good for this.....and she will NOT leave a message on the ansaphone.....Hey Ho !

Never mind.....I don't get bombarded with cold calls....It's just that as I get older I'm turning more and more into Victor Meldrew regarding certain things..
And just ONE call winds me up far more than it should !

Many thanks for taking the time to put down those links.......Might try some of those....I think just putting the phone down and leaving them hanging is the best one !
Might play them all of a double album if they stay there long enough ! 

Cheers - Phil.

[Luddite]

Nowadays I'm ex directory...so there should be no way I should get 'spoof/phishing' calls......UNLESS....The caller is using a random call generator....Or some 'peasant' has put my number down on some form or other before we moved here.....I have my ideas as to who that might have been....Never mind.

Probably the most common way for your ex-direc number to end up in the hands of a cold caller is if you've given it to some company and they pass it on to a 'partner' company or sell it on perhaps.

Always worth checking the small print or asking 'who will my details be shared with' when filling in forms or otherwise giving over your personal data.

Also, remember with paper forms you can always not put the detail down.  'You don't need this', being a good response (unless your providing data to get some sort of srvice that requires they phone, then they don't need it).

Online its harder since fields like that will typically coded with 'stars' to bar progress without the data.

Principle 3: Personal data shall be adequate relevant and not excessive in relation to the purpose for which they are processed and will not be further processed in any manner incompatible with that purpose or those purposes.

So many online data harvest processes annoy the hell out of me with this - especially with the requirement to give a phone number.  If i'm ordering a product online, you're gathering my email.  Need to contact me?  Send an email - usually the phone thing is for 'we may also contact you with blahblahmarketingblahblah'.  Can't remember the last time i put my real phone number into one of those fields.

However, back to the problem - putting the phone receiver down on them is fine, except i'd be careful about the risk of them overhearing your conversations in the room!

PErhaps have some sort of music player next to the phone and as soon as you spot they're a cold caller say;

'I'm sorry, i'm just going to have to put you on hold' and click the music on.  'Please release me' on loop perhaps?

[Techno]

Yep Luddite

Think you're absolutely right regarding putting your number down 'somewhere' and it being passed on....Though as we took the existing number on it may have been a previous owner of the property....Don't think it was ourselves....But you never know who's got the number in a genuine sense...and then farmed it out.....FUME !!

My only thought there is that they NEVER know what my name is...(It's either "Am I speaking to the homeowner?"....Or asking if I'm this Mr Bevan..Whoever HE is),,,.So I'm guessing it's not from someone I've actually dealt with.

Don't worry about them overhearing conversations.....The only thing they might hear is me going "How the hell did you get upstairs" to one of the dogs  .....Telling one of the cats....."Where's the slab of green stuff gone ?....You've knocked it on the floor again haven't you ?" (Thanks Smiffy)....But more likely me cursing to myself !

I can put the phone down bang next door to my little CD player without getting up.....SOMEWHERE I have got "Please release me"....I'm thinking more of looping Ian Gillan's high pitch screaming on 'Child in time'......That should put them off !

Thanks again - Phil .....Does you good to have a rant, doesn't it ? 

[Leon]

I may be wrong, but the TPS only covers people who are trying to sell you something, so anything market-research orentated isn't covered under those guidelines.  I've also found the 'Have you had an accident?' people don't seem affected by it either, as they're still phoning us.

I'm thinking more of looping Ian Gillan's high pitch screaming on 'Child in time'......That should put them off !

A bit of Kate Bush should do it... 

[Lord Kermit of Birkenhead]

It also dosn't apply to offshore call centres, cause they use an international number which Britsih legislation dont apply to.

IanS

[Dragoon]

It's more the 'survey' call that can be dangerous.
They ask one or two innocuous questions like ' do you think the price of petrol is too high?' or 'should bank charges for overdrafts be regulated?'
then there is a lead in to one detail like 'I use TSB , but I'm thinking of changeing as they charged £xxx because '.
All they want is one piece of information.

Don't forget, being polite is a disadvantage.

Think Victor, and you won't go wrong.

Mike