A DETAILED guide has been drawn up to advise people in East Staffordshire how to deal with nuisance phone calls.
Brizlincote parish councillor Jim Muir wrote the guide in an effort to help put an end to the problem that is a bane to people’s lives across the area.
The advice even suggests speaking in ‘gobbledygook’ in an effort to confuse the caller at the other end of the line.
Mr Muir said: “When you answer your phone, just say ‘hello’ rather than giving your name or number to an unknown caller.
“If it’s a nuisance call, just put the phone down immediately and say nothing.
“Make a list of numbers which you don’t recognise and report them to your phone company.
“If you are a confident type of person there are a couple of tricks that you might try.
“Pretend you have a language problem.
“Gobbledygook works well and keeps them guessing.
“String them along. I love the ‘you have a problem with your computer’ calls and have managed to keep them talking for a quarter of an hour or more.
“Start by agreeing that there is a problem, pretend to be following their instructions but tell them that the machine is taking ages to come on and then crashes so you must start again.
“Conclude by saying that there is someone at the door and leaving them hanging on, while you go off for a cup of tea.
“The bottom line is don’t give a cold-caller bank account details or personal details of any kind.”
Mr Muir is also urging people to join a telephone preference service by calling 0845 070 0707 or emailing www.tpsonline.org.uk
