Citizens Advice: OFT debt management cold calling warning

Citizens Advice Director of Public Policy Teresa Perchard said:"This is absolutely the kind of prompt and decisive action needed to tackle rogues taking advantage of the downturn."

These cold calls are intrusive and disconcerting and could lead consumers to believe the company has personal information about them when they do not.The agents making the calls often give the impression they are linked to a free, independent debt advice charity such as Citizens Advice by, for example, quoting our research about the number of people who have debts as a reason for calling the customer.

Anyone getting unsolicited calls from companies they don't know or who they haven't asked to call them, should discontinue the call and register with the Telephone Preference Service."