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24|09|08

Silent calls

The phone rings, you rush to answer but there’s no one there.

Silent calls are annoying and irritating and for some people - particularly those living alone - they can cause worry and anxiety.

Indeed, last month the Ofcom Advisory Team dealt with more calls about them than anything else.

Most silent calls are caused by the automated calling systems used by call centres.

Call centres

These systems dial telephone numbers automatically and connect the customer to agents as soon as the phone is answered.

But problems sometimes occur when these systems generate more calls than can be answered by call centre staff.

In 2006 we published new rules to tackle this problem.

These calls should now carry a short recorded information message identifying the source of the call.

Investigations

They should also have calling line identification (CLI) so that you can dial a service such as 1471 to find the phone number of the person or company who just tried to call you.

If you have received a silent call and have the number, please tell us what happened by filling out our online complaint form.

The information you provide will be used for monitoring purposes and possible investigations.

Ofcom is continually monitoring complaints and any company persistently flouting the rules can be fined up to £50,000.

Phone company

However, if the number was withheld then you need to call your phone company.

Their nuisance or malicious calls team will give you advice on what to do next and may be able to trace the caller's number.

They may also put a trace on your line if you’re receiving a large number of silent calls.

You may be offered anonymous call rejection, which will prevent these kind of calls in future.

However, this also has the side-effect of blocking some calls you might want to receive, for example from overseas.

Telephone Preference Service

If you don’t want to get calls from sales and marketing firms at all, you can also register with the Telephone Preference Service.

It is illegal for a company to call you for marketing purposes if you’ve registered with the TPS

You can register with the TPS online or by calling 0845 0700 707.

It takes about 28 days after you’ve registered before the calling ban takes effect.

If you are still getting calls after 28 days, then you can complain to the Telephone Preference Service.

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