Nine out of ten people in Cheshire receive nuisance calls each month, according to a recent survey which has also revealed the county’s top five nuisance telephone calls of 2016.

The YouGov survey, commissioned by CPR Call Blocker, makers of the best selling call blocking device in the UK, also revealed that 17% of Cheshire adults have been a victim of a telephone scam.

The survey also revealed the top five nuisance calls of 2016 are:

1. Calls about PPI refunds (67%) – being told you are owed money for mis-sold PPI payments and asked for an admin fee to proceed.

2. Compensations calls (62%) – being told you are due compensation for a vehicle/work accident and then asked to provide personal details and/or pay an admin fee to proceed.

3. Missed calls/automated calls scam (58%)- a message asks you to call back a number which is a premium-rate phone line.

4. Marketing cold-calls (55%) – receiving unsolicited calls from organisations you’ve had no dealings with, usually trying to sell double glazing or home energy services, who ask for personal information and/or bank details to pay upfront.

5. Pensions and investment scams (14%) – being told about an ‘unmissable’ investment opportunity or offered pension liberation or bonuses; Credit card/loan arranger scam (14%) – you are invited to apply for a guaranteed loan for an application fee.

Almost a third (30%) of Cheshire adults are receiving 20 or more unwanted calls in an average month, with 15% receiving 30 or more calls.

Kris Hicks of CPR Call Blocker said: “With nine out of ten people saying they receive unwanted calls each month, scam and nuisance calls continue to be a major problem for people in Cheshire and it’s often the most vulnerable people in society who are falling victim to telephone scams.

“It is concerning to see the rise in automated messages which makes a first appearance in the top five this year, in at number three. It is also worrying to see the rise in investment opportunity scams which is also new on the top five this year, in joint fifth place.

“We are hearing about a lot of pension-related investment scams at the moment, and with almost a fifth (18%) of those surveyed being a victim of this type of scam, we predict that, unfortunately, this may well become one of the most prolific scams of 2017.”

For those who are still receiving nuisance calls this Christmas, follow CPR Call Blocker’s quick three-step guide to stopping unwanted calls:

Sign up to the Telephone Preference Service – call 0845 070 0707 or visit www.tpsonline.org.uk

Don’t consent to being contacted – get your phone number taken off directories and look out for tick boxes on all marketing correspondence to see if ticking or unticking them will prevent your details being passed on to third parties

Consider getting a call blocker.

CPR Call Blocker is also calling on people in Cheshire to sign up to the Which? petition to convince the Government to take action on nuisance calls - http://www.which.co.uk/consumer-rights/advice/how-to-stop-nuisance-phone-calls