Telemarketers 'preying on elderly'

The telemarketing industry has found itself once more dragged through the gutter after a new report claimed some elderly people get as many as 10 nuisance calls a day, 60% more than average.
According to a survey carried out for The Sunday Times more than nine out of 10 elderly people had been subjected to a nuisance sales call or a text over the past month, and nearly a quarter said they had at least two a day.
While 92% of those over 60 received at least one call or text, 23% said they received two or more a day. This compared with just 6% of people under 25 receiving nuisance calls at the same rate.
The survey said three out of four people who received unwanted sales calls said they hung up, half refused to answer the call, but fewer than one in six made a complaint. More than half called for stronger Governent regulation of phone marketing companies.
Nearly three quarters, 73%, of people had been called by PPI claims firms, while 54% had calls from debt management firms and 38% from solar panel salesmen. More than a quarter reported sales calls they did not want from energy or phone companies and 16% said they had unwanted sales calls from banks.
Last week, the DMA welcomed the 15 recommendations made by the Government’s Nuisance Call Task Force report.
Commenting on the study, John Mitchison, the DMA’s head of preference services, legal and compliance, and member of the task force, said: “The legitimate telemarketing industry has long led the way in tackling nuisance calls. We’re therefore pleased the recommendations endorse what we’ve already put in place. Tackling the problem of nuisance calls requires a concerted effort across the board. Now it’s time for other parties to catch up with the industry’s lead.”