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<p>Unsolicited marketing calls originating from outside the United Kingdom (UK) made
by or on behalf of UK companies are legally required not to call a number that is
registered with the Telephone Preference Service (TPS), which is provided under the
Privacy and Electronic Communications Regulations (PECR) 2003. Protection is also
provided under the PECR if consumers have previously notified the caller that they
do not wish to receive such calls and for automated recorded messages calls, which
require prior consent. The Information Commissioner's Office (ICO) considers complaints
and can issue a monetary penalty of up to £500,000. Calls made from abroad by overseas
companies fall outside the jurisdiction of the UK.</p><p>Also, there are various steps
that consumers can take to block nuisance calls from getting through to them. Most
telecom service providers offer a range of services, usually for a small charge or
for free, that can help to reduce the need to answer such calls. These include ‘Calling
Line Identification Display', ‘Anonymous Call Rejection' and ‘Choose to Refuse'. BT's
‘Choose to Refuse' service allows consumers to block numbers by specifying numbers
that they do not want to receive calls from. Also, 'Caller Display' enables a consumer
to choose to ignore calls including those that withhold their number and ‘Anonymous
Call Rejection' blocks incoming calls that withhold their number; although this may
include some calls that consumers may want to receive. Additionally, telephone handsets
and plug in devices are commercially available from the internet and high shops that
can help to block unwanted nuisance calls.</p>
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