Fraud: Phone Scammers

Baroness McIntosh of Hudnall Excerpts

Thursday 4th December 2014 Lords Chamber

[Baroness McIntosh of Hudnall (Lab)]

My Lords, does the Minister agree that one question that arises from my noble friend’s original Question is how the people who contacted him got hold of his telephone number in the first place? Does he also agree that the systems that are designed to prevent the sort of calling that results in people having to take that sort of call are extremely inadequate? It would be very helpful if we could have some information about how they are to be strengthened.

[Lord Bates]

That is something that Ofcom is looking at. There is, of course, the Telephone Preference Service—

[Baroness McIntosh of Hudnall]

Is that relevant?

[Lord Bates]

It is relevant in this regard—that you can go online, as I did this morning, and in five steps put in your mobile telephone number, and it will then be removed from the mass-mailing contact numbers that are often the first port of call for many of these phishing and vishing exercises.