National Trading Standard Predicts Rise in Phone Scams as Lockdown Eases

National Trading Standards is predicting the number of scam calls to soar as the COVID-19 lockdown limits begin to lift and unauthorised call centres around the world get back to work. 

The COVID-19 pandemic has created new opportunities for telephone scammers to prey on members of the public.

One company was found to have made more than 680,000 scam calls over a month, persuading people to purchase face masks and hand sanitiser at a cost of £29.99 to £49.99 by maliciously asserting that the personal protective equipment was a government mandate. National Trading Standards has saved consumers more than £6 million by taking action to prevent scam calls.

Based on recent data from its call blockers, trueCall anticipates a steep increase in phone scams as lockdown measures ease, but the number of calls made during the quarantine was relatively low. The overall number of calls in March was 34% below expected levels and 77% below expected levels for April. 

“Scam callers are relentless and often leave their intended victims feeling scared, anxious, and unsafe in their own homes,” said Louise Baxter, head of the National Trading Standards Scams Team. “Our pilot call blocker schemes have already shown the effectiveness of call blockers in protecting households from potential scams and the distress that these types of calls can cause. This technology can make a real difference to the quality of life and emotional wellbeing of people who are targeted by nuisance or scam calls.”

National Trading Standards is contributing 700 free trueCall Secure call blockers on a first-come-first-served basis to households looking to avoid scam calls.

Using a call blocker device makes a substantial difference for households targeted by scam calls.

A recent survey conducted by National Trading Standards in partnership with the National Centre for Post Qualifying Social Work at Bournemouth University, examined the effect of the call blockers for three months after installation. The survey found that 92% of users stopped receiving scam calls and 95% of users no longer felt threatened by phone scams. By using a call blocker device to prevent phone scams from extending to users in the first place, 88% of respondents felt safer in their home and 83% of people were relieved of worries surrounding losing money.

One call blocker recipient stated the experienced an “enormous effect … prior to the call blocker I was getting calls on a regular basis. I lost my husband and this had really helped me feel safer.”

“It’s brilliant as my husband doesn’t answer scam calls anymore and he used to reply to scammers and we lost money to scams,” another recipient said. “It has all stopped now.”

The trueCall Secure call blockers that have been given to consumers are the same devices that have been used in prior National Trading Standards pilot programmes.

Anyone who feels vulnerable to phone scams can apply for a free call blocker from National Trading Standards here. With safety guidelines in mind, devices available through this programme will need to be self-installed to minimise the need for technicians entering people’s homes.

“We are determined to end the plague of nuisance calls ruining elderly and vulnerable people’s lives,” Media and Data Minister John Whittingdale said. “It’s fantastic to see Trading Standards help block unwanted calls as lockdown lifts. By providing 700 call blockers free of charge we can continue to drive down nuisance calls and reduce the emotional distress they cause.”

Have you been a target of phone scams during the pandemic? Let us know in the comments section below.

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