Nuisance calls can give fraudsters a “foot in the door”, Citizens Advice warns

Citizens Advice has warned about scammers phoning people out of the blue, as Ofcom today launches new consumer guides for nuisance phone calls. Citizens Advice’s research found that 7 in 10 calls to the consumer service about the Green Deal scheme were about scams with half of coming from cold calls.

Chief Executive of Citizens Advice, Gillian Guy, said:

“Unwittingly picking up a nuisance call can give fraudsters a foot in the door. Scammers are exploiting people struggling to pay their fuel bills with fake phone offers on insulation and solar panels.

“Seven in ten consumer queries to Citizens Advice about the Green Deal energy saving scheme were about scams with half of them coming from cold calls.

“For Scams Awareness Month we are making sure people know they can just hang up on cold callers. Reporting possible scams to Action Fraud can drive the scammers off the end of the phone for good.”

Notes to editors:

  1. The Citizens Advice service comprises a network of local bureaux, all of which are independent charities, the Citizens Advice consumer service and national charity Citizens Advice. Together we help people resolve their money, legal and other problems by providing information and advice and by influencing policymakers. For more see the Citizens Advice website .

  2. The advice provided by the Citizens Advice service is free, independent, confidential, and impartial, and available to everyone regardless of race, gender, disability, sexual orientation, religion, age or nationality.

  3. To find your local bureau in England and Wales, visit citizensadvice.org.uk . You can also get advice online at adviceguide.org.uk

  4. You can get consumer advice from the Citizens Advice consumer service on 03454 04 05 06 or 03454 04 05 05 for Welsh language speakers

  5. Citizens Advice Bureaux in England and Wales advised 2.3 million clients on 5.4 million problems from October 2013 to September 2014. For full 2013/2014  service statistics see our quarterly publication Advice trends

  6. Citizens Advice service staff are supported by more than 21,000 trained volunteers, working at over 3,000 service outlets across England and Wales.