Campaign Launched In A Bid To Ban On Cold Calls

Research shows that there were over 2 BILLION nuisance calls made last year in the UK - that's 6 million calls each day.

The majority of those were to people over the age of 65.

Now, insurance company Aviva has launched a campaign to get the Government to ban cold calls.

Aviva has asked ministers to use upcoming legislation to ban calls relating to a pensions, PPI or insurance claim, where there is no established relationship with the consumer. Such protections already exist with other financial products such as mortgages.

Top tips on how to protect yourself from phone scams:

• If it sounds too good to be true it probably is
• Never give out your bank details or send money unless you are certain you can trust the person who has contacted you
• If you receive a sales call you have not requested, be suspicious
• Neither your bank or the police would collect a bank card, ask for your PIN or come to your home to collect financial paperwork
• You shouldn't have to pay money to receive a prize
• You shouldn't have to pay money via Ukash or Western Union to claim mis-sold PPI
• If you are put under pressure to make an immediate decision be suspicious and politely decline
• Computer firms do not make unsolicited calls to help fix your computer
• Register with the telephone preference service on 0845 070 0707 to block unwanted calls
• If you're still concerned, consider installing call blocking technology to reduce nuisance calls