The silent phone menace

SILENT, anonymous and mysterious. The telephone calls can come at any time of the day or night sometimes once, sometimes twice, sometimes a dozen times.

There is no voice on the other end of the line, just an eerie silence.

Today the Daily Echo is backing Radio Solent's Silent Calls Campaign calling for an end to the latest trend in telesales which is leaving many people frightened in their own homes.

Increasingly, telemarketing firms selling everything from Spanish holiday villas to medical insurance are using predictive dialling systems software which allows them to make calls by automatically dialling a selection of random numbers.

It is done to increase productivity. However, more calls are made than can be dealt with by staff, resulting in thousands of silent or abandoned calls with withheld numbers being made to homes across Hampshire.

Already 1,300 victims have come forward since the campaign's launch. Some of those on the receiving end believed elderly relatives were lying injured while others feared they were being stalked.

Some even suspected their partners of having affairs.

The Stop Silent Calls campaign is aiming for legislation which will make it illegal for direct telephone marketing companies to dial more numbers than they can handle.

Radio Solent presenter Julian Clegg said: "We heard about this when we had a caller on air to say she'd been getting silent calls. I have had these calls when at home. They are extremely inconvenient and a bit worrying. It is bad enough for me to be disturbed during dinner. When you don't know who they are and especially when you are living on your own I can imagine they can be very worrying."

He said the public response since the problem was first highlighted has been unlike anything he has seen in his seven years presenting the breakfast show.

At present, the Direct Marketing Association (DMA) offers guidelines to telesales firms advising that not more than five cent of their calls should be abandoned.

However, in a bid to increase productivity too many companies flout the guidelines and are never punished.

Although the telephone watchdog Ofcom can technically take action for the persistent misuse of a telephone network it has not issued a single maximum £5,000 penalty since it was given new powers last year.

In the last year the watchdog has spoken to two companies and told them to work more closely with the DMA guidelines.

Together Radio Solent and the Daily Echo are lobbying for legislation which will mean companies no longer have a choice about following guidelines, they will be forced to by law.

We also want to see companies provide recorded messages if an agent is unable to take the call and a ban on companies withholding numbers so calls can be traced.

Winchester MP Mark Oaten is supporting the campaign.

He said: "It is distressing for people to literally have the phone go blank when it rings. It should be legislated against, particularly for the elderly and single people who can feel quite vulnerable.

"It has happened to me on a number of occasions and I did not realise what it was. It is something that makes you think the worst. It is a very bad practice."

The Lib Dem has been joined by New Forest East MP Julian Lewis and Dorset MP Jim Knight.

An Ofcom spokesman said: "We do have a complaints procedure but we understand that without knowing who the caller is it can be very difficult for customers.

"That is why we are actively encouraging companies to follow the guidelines of the DMA and not withhold their numbers."

Robert Dirskovksi, head of interactive media at The Direct Marketing Association, representing 900 marketing firms said: "This is not just a direct marketing issue. The predictive dialling systems software is used by all sorts of companies and public service organisations.

"If there was a quick-fix answer I would have already fixed it. It is very difficult to pinpoint the problem when numbers are withheld."

He is in talks with telecom network providers to see whether they can release details of the most significant abusers of the dialling software so that action can be taken against them.

Case study 1:

JEAN McMillan, 69, lives alone.

The first silent call she received terrified her - and soon she was receiving mysterious calls daily, sometimes up to three in an hour.

They came at all times of day. Recently, there have not been many, but when we contacted Jean, the silent caller had just been in touch again.

"At first I thought it was somebody checking to see if there was anybody in the house, waiting to burgle me. Then I thought it might be someone I knew who left under bad feeling. All sorts of things went through my mind."

Jean, who lives in Shirley, heard of other people's experiences through Radio Solent - and that these silent calls were coming randomly from a computerised dialling system.

It put her mind at ease about who was behind the frequent silent calls.

"I heard about one lady who was being charged for calls she didn't make, and I've heard recorded messages when I answer the phone telling me I won't get charged.

"I still get very concerned but now I just hang up straight away," she added.

"It's an irritation but it's also an intrusion. You can't get away from it because it's coming straight into your home."

Case study 2:

DAILY silent calls are an irritation for pensioners John and Joy Smith. The Warsash couple have been plagued with them for months - at one point receiving at least three a day but more recently one or two, and sometimes none.

They are concerned for elderly neighbours who can be left terrified by the eerie silences on the end of the phone.

John, 79, said: "We live in a maisonette in Warsash and are surrounded by elderly widows. I am the only bloke here. We have a 90-year-old neighbour who had one of the calls at 10pm and she was absolutely terrified.

"She thought it was from a burglar who was going to break in any minute. She called her son on the other side of the country and he told her not to worry, but she sat up for hours as she was too frightened to go to sleep.

"It is diabolical really. I don't think anybody has the right to terrorise someone else in this way."

John, who cares for his disabled wife Joy, 70, added: "We are fine because we know what the calls are about. I listen to Radio Solent and heard their campaign which explained these were random numbers. It doesn't matter whether you are the Queen of England or ex-directory - everyone goes into a melting pot.

Mr Smith recently slammed the phone down on a call which claimed that someone had been desperately trying to contact him - and asked him to ring back on another number.

"Unfortunately I wasn't quick enough to take the number down, but you can bet it was one of those £3-a-minute premium rate lines I was being asked to call," he said.

Case study 3:

FOR several months the mystery phone calls had been coming, at 2am, 7am and 10pm, sometimes four or five calls within 15 minutes. But it was when Sheila Hill, 69, was having coffee with a friend, and their quiet chat was interrupted by a staggering four silent phone calls, that her patience finally snapped.

She wrote and told BBC Radio Solent about the plague of secret callers - and has been astounded by the response. More than 1,300 people have phoned in to tell of similar experiences at the hands of the random computerised dialling system.

"I was amazed by some of the stories people told," said Sheila, of Winchester Road, Fair Oak. "There have been people accusing their husbands or wives of having affairs, carers worried that a relative has fallen and hurt themselves.

"I never thought it would become this big. For me, it was annoying rather than frightening. We would come in and see the message light flashing on the phone, but there would be no voice.

"There would be calls through the night and up to five times in a quarter of an hour. My friend said she'd throw the phone out, but you still answer it in case somebody wants to speak to you."

Having sparked awareness of a problem that's blighting thousands of people in Hampshire, the pensioner now wants to see legislation passed banning the abuse of the computer system.

"In America, companies are not allowed to do it - businesses here should also be held to task," she said.

"If someone is calling you trying to sell double glazing it's annoying but at least you can tell them you're not interested. With this silent calling, you have no chance to respond."

WHAT CAN YOU DO?

JASON Mann, BT's regional spokesman advises people to sign up to the Telephone Preference Service.

You can prevent direct marketing calls by calling the freephone number on 0845 07 007 07.

However, this is not a foolproof system as not all marketing firms are signed-up. There are also a number of exceptions which allow companies who have contacted you in the past to continue doing so.

You can also contact Ofcom - the regulator for the UK communications industry on 0845 456 3333 or 020 7981 3040.

For more details go to: www.ofcom. org.uk

Under the Communications Act 2003 Ofcom has new powers to deal with individuals and companies which persistently misuse an electronic communications network or service.

Since the act was introduced MKD Holdings, a kitchen direct business and Intelligent Marketing Solutions Call Centre have had action taken against them.

Both agreed in writing to adhere to follow the Direct Marketing Association's guidelines that not more than five per cent of calls should be silent but escaped the maximum £5,000 penalty.

However, for victims of silent calls Ofcom is powerless to act if the calls cannot be traced.

Have you had any silent calls? Call Clare Kennedy at The Daily Echo on 023 8042 4505.