Due to the fact that my elderly mother is over 75, it has just become apparent to me that the elderly (over 75) are now being given one of these scam Premium numbers which they have to call to renew their TV licence!

This now joins the plethora of means by which the government are exploiting the poor, disadvantaged and elderly by using these numbers with queuing to claw-back benefits paid to them. For example: the Tax Credits contact number, Welfare benefit office contact numbers, Pension Credit office contact numbers, and DWP (Retirement Pension) office contact number.

It is increasingly evident to me, when you put these elements of realisation together, that because this complete scam is based on a total absence of any moral scruples at all in the first place, it is really not surprising that they stop at nothing as they unroll the extent of its penetration in the telephone system. A confidence trickster does what he (or she) does by completely erasing any modicum of conscience which they may have had in the first place; otherwise they would not be able do what they do exploiting their fellow human beings without a much troubled conscience. Once they develop the facility to destroy their pangs of conscience they get into a position where they can then balk at and stop at nothing which they wish to try. It is the same with the NGN scammers. Once they have obliterated any very minuscule conscience  which they might originally have had they then stop at nothing in what or whom they are prepared to exploit to make a quick buck by deception and exploitation.

This is why they are all now targeting the elderly, the underprivileged, the unemployed, the destitute, the pensioner, the sick and the victims of terrorism and their families. Is there no limit to how low they will sink?

Dorf,

Have you put these thoughts to your MP and asked him if he could ask the relevant government ministers some parliamentary questions about the use of these numbers, especially with reference to the views of Leicester City Council trading standards and the recent ASA guidance on showing pence per minute call cost.  The COI guidance is less than helpful here because it does not ban the use of 0845 outright - only 0870.

You might also get your MP to enquire into the statutory duties and powers of Ofcom to protect the public against deliberate misselling activities in the same way that the Financial Services Authority can and why it is that Ofcom so far never seems to have utilised such powers or fined any telcos for misselling these numbers.  Ofcom are only accountable to parliament over their spectacular failure to protect the best interests of the telecoms consumers

The recent stock email response I received from BT customer services, clearly designed for the companies they are still aggressively miselling these numbers to, shows that are currently still quite deliberately misleading dumb telecoms managers about the so called benefits.

Hi NGM,

Yes probably like you I have tried all this before. All that happens is that my MP contacts the Minister concerned and he responds with the stock bilge, regurgitated from Oftel and Ofcom's repertoire, and the Minister then contacts Ofcom and has them boilerplate similar rubbish to my MP.

It is just a game of vicious circles like the Ouslum bird!

wrote on Aug 28^th, 2005 at 10:04am:

Hi NGM, Yes probably like you I have tried all this before. All that happens is that my MP contacts the Minister concerned and he responds with the stock bilge, regurgitated from Oftel and Ofcom's repertoire, and the Minister then contacts Ofcom and has them boilerplate similar rubbish to my MP.

You need to suggest to your MP that for BT to still be using the brand Lo-Call for 0845 numbers that cost more than National Rate calls is deliberate misselling and that your MP needs to ask Ofcom why they have not used their statutory powers to stop BT from using this outdated and misleading brand name.

Give your MP the actual question he should ask that does not allow them to come up with the usual obfuscating answers.   Also indicate in your communication why the answers of obfuscation are rotten to the core and so cannot be given.

Its an uphill battle I know as my own MP does not seem very interested in this area at all but instead seems to be obsessed with the issue of child pornography and sexual abuse of children in general.