Prompted by the controversy surrounding the cold calling tactics of the charity sector, as well as figures released by the Information Commissioners Office which show they received 180,000 complaints in the last year alone, ministers will look to crack down on organisations which hide their numbers from consumers.
“We are determined to clamp down on the cowboys who make people’s life a misery.”
Dominic Raab MP, Justice Minister
Culture Minister Ed Vaizey is set to release proposals to ban marketing firms from displaying their calls as coming from ‘Unknown’ numbers in the hope that they will pick up the phone.
“We are determined to clamp down on the cowboys who make people’s life a misery,” said Justice Minister Dominic Raab MP.
“And we are looking at every angle to tackle it.”
It has been revealed that the Ministry of Justice is also considering shifting the responsibility for cold calling onto the directors of an organisation or charity.
To ensure organisations abide by the rule changes a new industry taskforce - including consumer watchdogs and regulators - is to be set up by ministers.
One of the main priorities for the Ethical Marketing Charter is to encourage the Government to do more to tackle the problem of nuisance calls through legislation, so we would welcome any change in the law that makes it harder for organisations to hide behind an unknown number.
To find out more about the Charter and its aims, click here to visit our FAQs section.
