30/07/2013

New Measures Announced To Tackle Marketing Calls

Culture Secretary Maria Miller has announced a number of measure to tackle nuisance and unwanted marketing calls.

As part of the plan regulators will be give new powers to take action against companies, including cold callers being unable to conceal their number. It is hoped to make reporting these type of calls easier.

A licensing system for call centres is also to be considered in the future.

According to research from Ofcom, some 82% of people receive unwanted calls, averaging two such calls a week.

A government report, called Connectivity, Content and Consumers: Britain's digital platform for growth, says the calls "can be live marketing calls, silent calls, abandoned calls and recorded marketing message calls".

Adding: "More often than not it is perceived as a nuisance, but it can also cause anxiety, inconvenience and distress."

(MH/CD)

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