Abacus Daily Debt News

Debtors ‘pestered’ to take on Christmas debt

Britons are being harassed by cold callers trying to convince them to take out credit cards and personal loans in the run-up to Christmas, it has been claimed.

The Call Prevention Registry has observed that, over the last month, nearly half of all telemarketing calls have been from organisations urging people to accrue more debt, the Daily Telegraph reports.

A study carried out by the body - which blocks nuisance calls made to the British public - also revealed that, in October, 28 per cent of unwanted telephone conversations were with loan companies and other similar businesses.

Spokesman for the registry Paul MacKenzie-Cummins remarked upon the shocking methods used to contact people.

He observed that there has been a move away from firms relying just on salespeople, instead turning to pre-recorded messages and more aggressive tactics as "the preferred means of cold-calling consumers".

And credit services company Equifax recently warned debtors to be wary of other telephone scams, such as calls from criminals who convince vulnerable people to part with account details and payments by offering lump sums in return.

By Sarah Adie