Busy hosts targeted by cold callers warns OFT
by Ewan Turney
Licensees warned they are a prime target for cold call scammers claiming to be selling advert slots in magazines for emergency services are being urged to give callers short shrift by the Office of Fair Trading.
The OFT and Trading Standards have been flooded with complaints about the tactics employed by sales staff who act in an aggressive manner and demand payment for services that have never been provided.
John Bell, licensee at the Travellers Rest in Newquay, Cornwall, has been dogged by calls from bogus salesmen.
"This guy with a Liverpudlian accent phoned up and said he was a fire safety officer," he said. "He tried to sell me advertising in a fire-brigade magazine and when I refused he started asking me if there had been any accidental fires at the pub in a threatening way."
Although legitimate companies do exist, the OFT has issued a set of tips to reduce the risks of falling foul of cold-call scams. These include not taking unsolicited calls when you are busy, not agreeing to something on the phone just to get rid of the caller because agreements can be legally binding, asking plenty of questions and not being pressurised into paying for services you have not agreed to.
If in doubt about the validity of the call, the best thing to do is simply hang up. An OFT spokesman said: "If you are threatened with debt collectors or a credit black-listing, remember that ultimately only a court can decide whether you are liable to pay and disputes with another business will not necessarily affect your credit rating."
Trading Standards chief executive Ron Gainsford added: "We are increasingly alarmed by the callous lengths that some cold-calling telesales operations will go to, to get well meaning consumers and businesses to part with their hard-earned money."
