'National Awareness' Message

[buzby]

I was minding my own business, when the phone rang, - a 'No Number Avilable' call, seemingly coming from outside the UK. If the link below works, you can hear it - a UK voice explains I'm to recieve a 'National Awareness' message.

 

Was the world going to end imminently, and Gordie was calling me to climb into the wardrobe

 

[Link removed: It would appear that the advertising supported audio-store isn't too fussy about the adverts it hosts]

 

 

My complaint, is that without pressing '5' you cannot identify the source (and probably not even then). Does anyone recognise this as a [problem]?

[anon4]

This is still going on (March 2008). I have just received the same phone call, but after the first few words, realised it was a recorded message and so I cut off. I thought it was an American/Canadian voice. It must be working or they would have given up by now.

[buzby]

It really is the pits - the illusion that it is somehow a 'government' inspired message that pushes all the right buttons (except No 5). If I get another, I'm tempted to find out who is behind this.

[JustPassing]

Had two of those "National Awareness" calls to different numbers this morning. Hung up immediately and did not listen, but the switchboard recorded the call as coming from 0015179312162.

[buzby]

Thats useful to know. It would appear your company switchboard has an ISDN30 or better connection to the public network, this means you get the actual number of the outgoing line being used, rather than what they 'flag' as the number being unavailable. I'll try to take this up to OFCOM as an abuse.

[lennyman]

I have just had the same phone call and dialling 1471 gave me the number 015179312162. The difference to the previous post is that the leading zero is missing.

[JustPassing]

your company switchboard has an ISDN30

Yes, that's correct. Though our switchboard doesn't usually show withheld and unavailable numbers. So possibly not a withheld number, but a call from overseas using an ID that some telcos don't pass on. Also interesting is that lennyman gets exactly the same number, but without the 00 prefix implying Liverpool rather than USA. But I think it has a digit too many to be Liverpool, so perhaps USA is more likely.

[JustPassing]

On second thoughts, it could well be a call from a UK number, using a "bodged" presentation ID intended to make it look like a USA number so that OfCom looks at it and says "nothing we can do about that, its from overseas" when maybe it isn't.

[JustPassing]

Three more calls last night from 0015179312162 -- one to my home phone (which is an ordinary BT line with caller ID enabled) and another two to further numbers on our work switchboard. The work numbers are all 020-8443 and the home number is 020-8805.

[Bookworm]

See Scarlet Pimpernel's post here:

http://www.consumeractiongroup.co.uk/forum/general-debt-issues/126876-public-awareness-message-national.html

[buzby]

The 00 initial digits are inserted by BT and don;t form part of the number that is transited... assuming as you say, these are coming in from the USA. All of which of course means that being on the TPS list means zip UNLESS we actually answer one and find out who is behind the call/advert.

[tomterm8]

Hrm. They did that to our phone, and we put the phone down;)

 

Bunch of [problematic], IMHO. (n.b. this message doesn't say it's from the national debtline, but, to be frank it should be unlawful to operate in this way).

[loz]

I get these every week at work, have done for months. I've never listened for more than 2 seconds

[morteee]

I had one tonight and hung up right away

[JustPassing]

Several more reports of Unsolicited Nuisance Calls from 0015179312162 at (517) 931-2162 / 5179312162

[JustPassing]

This miscreant is now making yet more Unsolicited Nuisance Calls using the caller ID 0012697682013

 

Has anybody heard of any progress on identifying any UK culpability in any of the previous calls? Somebody really needs to single out whoever's behind this and launch a high profile prosecution.

[buzby]

The format of this number is clearly North America - Michigan, in fact. If you check this link, you'll see complaints from folk who have reported unsolicited calls from this area code;

Reported Phone Numbers in 1-269 Area Code

 

The bottom line remains, there is NO UK culpability whatsoever, the laws only protect those from UK callers, and to a more limited extent, the EU. With no possibility of enforcing any viable sanctions against an overseas caller (no crime is being committed), they can carry on with impunity.

[tomterm8]

If they are in the US, it is unlawful under the Telephone Consumer Protection Act of 1991 , and you can sue the FCUKers in the american courts. Te right of action is worth $500 for each contravention.

[PGH7447]

Item From the Internet - "actual call from ID 0015179312162, plays a message relating to 'new' government debt legislation 'if you owe over £5000 you could qualify... press 5 to speak to one of our"

 

[tomterm8]

It's an IVA, mate. And they are really, really not advised for much more than 1% of people... most people should go bankrupt before chosing an IVA. IVA's are the next misselling scandle waiting to happen.

[PGH7447]

Quote "IVA's are the next misselling scandle waiting to happen"

 

Could not agree more Tomterm

[JustPassing]

"there is NO UK culpability whatsoever"

"

 

Not even if it can be proved that details of respondents are passed TO a UK person ?

 

If so, then there's an obvious error in the law that needs rectifying very urgently, otherwise every UK company will be routing their Unsolicited Nuisance Calls via USA to escape prosecution.

[JustPassing]

"you can sue the FCUKers in the american courts."

 

Is OfCom willing to handle such a prosecution? And if not, why not? As it would clearly be in the public interest to do so as a high profile prosecution and discourage others.

 

There is clearly enough evidence here alone -- and if the miscreant has been making these Unsolicited Nuisance Calls to a susbtantial part of the UK, as seems to be the case, any necessary additional evidence would surely not be hard to find. Indeed, it seems unlikely that OfCom itself has had many of these calls and can provide the evidence by itself.

 

Failing that ... if its as simple as the above, there must be good scope for a No Win No Fee lawyer already in the States to take on the case.

[buzby]

If they are in the US, it is unlawful under the Telephone Consumer Protection Act of 1991 , and you can sue the FCUKers in the American courts. Te right of action is worth $500 for each contravention.

 

Not when the call is delivered outside their (US) jurisdiction. This would be a Federal crime in the US, but without local representation, no UK resident would be advised to try and force the issue, and you can bet UK's OFCOM won't want to know.

[buzby]

Is OfCom willing to handle such a prosecution? And if not, why not? .

 

How about, because it is not against any law?

 

And lets assume they work on a cooperative deal with the FCC to stop it - these centres will move to other jurisdictions that don't - india, for example.