During the shielding period in 2020, Mole Valley Life (MVL) made over 14,000 welfare calls to the vulnerable and older in our district, offering vital help and reassurance at an uncertain time.
One of those who were shielding and who received weekly calls from the MVL team was Mrs D. During one of their calls, Mrs D disclosed to Tracey (a TECs Support Officer for MVL) that during lockdown she had fallen victim to a telephone scam which had resulted in her being conned out of £6,000. Mrs D confided in Tracey that as a result of this she had (understandably) lost a lot of confidence and was apprehensive when answering the telephone. Wanting to help, Tracey was able to advise Mrs D of the partnership which MVL operate with Surrey and Buckinghamshire Trading Standards to install trueCall units free of charge to vulnerable and older residents in our district, to block bogus callers and clamp down on telephone scams.
trueCall units work by checking the caller’s phone number against a database of known and accepted telephone numbers, only letting trusted callers straight through and asking unrecognised callers to identify themselves by pressing a key or by entering a code.
Within a couple of weeks of Tracey making the recommendation, Mrs D’s trueCall unit had been fitted by Peter, a MVL TECs Projects Officer.
“The installation process was straightforward and normally takes no more than 30 mins or so. From the outset it was clear to me that both Mrs D and her daughter were visibly relieved to see the TrueCall unit installed and working. With Mrs D’s permission, her daughter now also has access to the trueCall website so that she can manage the trusted caller list herself and also keep an eye on Mrs D’s telephone record, allowing her to react quickly should she spot something that causes her concern.” – Peter
Since having the trueCall unit installed in July, Mrs D has received no nuisance or bogus phone calls.
“ I feel so much more confident when answering the phone as I know who will be calling. I feel much safer now and will be telling my friends about trueCall.” – Mrs D
“When my Mum was scammed earlier this year, it left her devastated and afraid to answer the phone. The trueCall device has given her and I peace of mind and we are so grateful to Mole Valley Life.” – Mrs D’s daughter
“Unfortunately, not everyone out there is trustworthy and some people will always try to take advantage. To combat telephone fraud and to give residents piece of mind we are pleased to be able to offer call blocking technology free of charge, to those vulnerable residents being plagued by nuisance and scam cold calls. We have distributed over 250 units so far, which have prevented residents from receiving nearly 190,000 nuisance calls and over 36,000 scam calls. The financial savings for residents has been calculated at almost £400,000. Fraudsters come in all shapes and sizes and can contact you at the door, by phone, post or online. We urge residents to be sceptical, take your time, don’t be rushed and don’t be afraid to hang up, bin it, delete it or shut the door.” – Claire Hodgson of Surrey and Buckinghamshire Trading Standards
To find out more about how a trueCall unit could help you or your loved one please call 01372 204500 or mail mvlife@molevalley.gov.uk.