Device puts an end to cold calling

Two British inventors have developed a device which claims to alleviate the problem of cold calling.

The device, name ‘TrueCall’ acts like a virtual receptionist, as it intercepts incoming calls and learns to distinguish between welcome and unwelcome callers.

An estimated 1.5 million silent calls and 1.5 million malicious calls are made to the British public every year, and according to a recent survey, 70% of UK phone owners claim they have been a victim of a phone scam.

The device claims to trump the two most common types of phone scam – both of which rely on the caller getting through and speaking to a person.

The most common scam involves the caller trying to get the other party to call a premium rate number, while another tries to obtain personal information over the phone – a practise know as voice phishing.
 
It was scams of this nature that gave inventors, Steve Smith and John Price, the idea for a blocking device.

The TrueCall Gadget, which is about the size of a paperback book, works by plugging into your home phone line & checking every incoming call before letting the phone ring.

Callers can add the numbers of family and friends to their self-created ‘star list’ which the device will then recognise and let through as normal.

However, if a caller’s number is on the ‘zap list’– a list of telemarketers and other nuisance callers, the device will answer it with an automated message, meaning that the phone will not ring at all.

If the caller’s number is not recognised or is withheld, it asks them who they are, puts them on hold and then rings the user’s phone. The user then has the option to take the call, add the number to the ‘zap’ list’ and reject the call, or have the machine take a message.

"TrueCall is designed to give people control of their landlines," said Mr Price.

"You can bolt the door and close the curtains but your landline is the weak link in your privacy," he said.

The TrueCall device claims to work on all phone lines, and is available for online purchase via the TrueCall website, for £99.99.

Related links:
TrueCall Press Release