Don’t know what to get mum, dad or gran for Christmas? How about a call blocker?

That is the suggestion from Cornwall Council, which is advising people about how to tackle the annoying level of unwanted telephone calls that many people experience these days.

In some cases it might be simply sales calls, PPI claims firms or those automated dialling calls which hang-up just as you’ve rushed to answer them.

More worryingly, however, many people are increasingly being targeted by sophisticated scammers, whose sole aim is to trick people into parting with their money, or into giving out personal details.

The council’s Fair Trading team has been working hard to promote the risks associated with the most common types of scam.

Staff have also been visiting vulnerable victims across Cornwall to educate them on the dangers of phone and mass marketing postal scams, and support them in reducing the levels of post and phone calls they receive.

It is widely accepted that once you have been a victim of a scam, there is an increasing chance that you will get targeted again.

As part of the team’s work, they have been promoting the benefits of call blocking devices. There are now a number of call blocking telephone systems available, at relatively low cost, which can block nearly all unwanted calls.

The Trading Standards Institute has recommended two particular call blockers – TrueCall and CPR Call Blocker. Models range from £40 to £120. The price varies depending on the features and level of control and monitoring you require. The more advanced devices can even allow remote monitoring of the calls received to a number – which can be invaluable to relatives of a vulnerable person who might live alone.

Geoff Brown, Cabinet member for Homes and Communities, said: “The council’s Fair Trading team has been proactive in trying to educate the public on the dangers of mailing and telephone scams and has been working with the National Scams Hub project to provide support to identified victims.

“The criminals responsible for these activities are extremely sophisticated and can be difficult to trace; often basing themselves outside of the jurisdiction of the UK Authorities. Education and prevention is the key to reducing the harm caused by these scammers.”

Nigel Strick, Fair Trading manager, added: “The techniques used by the scammers can be very intricate and they will often have a small amount of background information about the person they call, which helps to make their claims more convincing. In some cases they will pretend to be offering compensation for a previous scam, in order to con more money from the victim.

“We believe that the use of call blockers not only provides a really valuable tool in the protection of vulnerable people, but also help to reduce the everyday frustration that most people experience from the constant bombardment of nuisance telephone calls.”

More information on call blockers recommended by the Trading Standards Institute can be found at: 

www.truecall.co.uk 0800 0 336 330

www.cprcallblocker.com 0800 652 7780

If you are concerned that a member of your family has been affected by a scam and require advice, call the Citizens Advice Consumer Service on 03454 04 05 06.

If you wish to report a scam, contact Action Fraud on 0300 123 20 40.