Wealden MP Nus Ghani has welcomed the news that the Government have banned cold-calling in relation to pensions.
Pensions are most people’s largest financial asset, making them an attractive target for fraudsters. The majority of pensions’ fraud has a single source: cold-calling. As of today, it will be illegal to cold-call anyone to discuss their pensions, with the ban enforced by the Information Commissioner’s Office with fines of up to £500,000.
After leading the campaign in Parliament to tackle elder abuse, and repeatedly calling for greater government attention on crimes and scams targeted against older people, Nus has welcomed this news as a significant step towards protecting vulnerable people in our society.
Nus Ghani, MP for Wealden, said: “I’ve long campaigned on pension scams so I am delighted to see the Government crackdown on pension cold-calling. By working with charities, hospices and support organisations in Wealden, I understand the devastating impact that cold-calling can have on older people. I’d like to thank charities like Age UK who have campaigned so hard on this important issue. It does however remain important that we continue to get the message out that if an unfamiliar person calls to discuss your pension, you should hang up immediately and report it at www.ico.org.uk.”
