Information, Connection and/or Signposting Services (ICSS)
Various regulations introduced in the last few years have led to a vast reduction in the number of premium rate 084 and 087 numbers being used for inappropriate purposes. Post-sales customer service lines for retailers, traders and passenger transport companies and helplines for existing customers of banks, card companies and insurers are no longer allowed to use these numbers. Cabinet Office guidance has seen wide-spread abandonment of 084 and 087 numbers by government departments, their agencies and other public services. Most organisations have changed over to using inclusive 03 numbers or free-to-caller 080 numbers, but there are still many occasions where callers could be caught out by high charges.
One such occasion is when inadvertently using services that are defined as Information, Connection and/or Signposting Services (ICSS), unofficially known as Call Connection Services (CCS). These provide expensive 084, 087 or 09 telephone numbers for contacting companies and organisations in place of the cheap or free telephone numbers provided by the organisation itself. A web search involving the word "contact" and the name of any reasonably well-known business or organisation returns multiple entries for ICSS providers. These websites often advertise themselves as "providing hard to find numbers". As most organisations have their own website and advertise their phone numbers prominently on it, this is complete nonsense.
One such occasion is when inadvertently using services that are defined as Information, Connection and/or Signposting Services (ICSS), unofficially known as Call Connection Services (CCS). These provide expensive 084, 087 or 09 telephone numbers for contacting companies and organisations in place of the cheap or free telephone numbers provided by the organisation itself. A web search involving the word "contact" and the name of any reasonably well-known business or organisation returns multiple entries for ICSS providers. These websites often advertise themselves as "providing hard to find numbers". As most organisations have their own website and advertise their phone numbers prominently on it, this is complete nonsense.
Current regulation
Where an ICSS number starts 087 or 09 and has a Service Charge of more than 7p per minute or per call, the service is defined as being a Controlled Premium Rate Service (CPRS) and is regulated by the Phone-paid Services Authority (PSA). Where the number starts 084, 087 or 09 and has a Service Charge of 7p per minute or per call or less, the service is NOT currently regulated by the Phone-paid Services Authority. Instead, the Advertising Standards Authority (ASA) oversees promotion of these services.
Where providers of ICSS are covered by PSA regulation there are a number of strict requirements imposed on them. The requirements include providing a link to where the official number for the organisation being called can be found, and announcing the premium call charges at the start of the call. The requirements would appear to be so onerous that no-one would ever set up such a service, but hundreds exist, each covering hundreds or thousands of other organisations. Those that operate on 084 numbers are able to completely escape this regulation, and there are many such services currently doing so.
The PSA requirements also suggest that no-one would knowingly use such a service to make calls through the advertised premium rate numbers, and that therefore all such services are designed to catch people out - those who are in a hurry and didn't read the small print or notice the link to a cheaper number or otherwise comprehend the various warnings, as well as genuinely vulnerable citizens and consumers. In 2013, a PhonepayPlus research document stated that "no-one sets out to call an expensive ICSS number". We agree.
Where providers of ICSS are covered by PSA regulation there are a number of strict requirements imposed on them. The requirements include providing a link to where the official number for the organisation being called can be found, and announcing the premium call charges at the start of the call. The requirements would appear to be so onerous that no-one would ever set up such a service, but hundreds exist, each covering hundreds or thousands of other organisations. Those that operate on 084 numbers are able to completely escape this regulation, and there are many such services currently doing so.
The PSA requirements also suggest that no-one would knowingly use such a service to make calls through the advertised premium rate numbers, and that therefore all such services are designed to catch people out - those who are in a hurry and didn't read the small print or notice the link to a cheaper number or otherwise comprehend the various warnings, as well as genuinely vulnerable citizens and consumers. In 2013, a PhonepayPlus research document stated that "no-one sets out to call an expensive ICSS number". We agree.
Advice
The Phone-paid Services Authority offered some advice in 2017 on avoiding expensive telephone helpline numbers. The Advertising Standards Authority also offers some older advice on call-forwarding services. Both of these pieces were published immediately after penalties were issued against, or censure of, specific services - but several hundred services of a similar nature continue to operate. In summary, consumers should avoid calling premium rate telephone numbers starting 084, 087 or 09 found in Google, or other, search results as these are unlikely to be genuine numbers.
Many of the people who become victims of this scam may never realise that they have been scammed. However, even if they do, they may not understand that it was a third-party call-forwarding service that benefitted from the generated revenue - as opposed to the organisation they actually spoke to. Anyone who feels they were misled into calling a Call Connection Service number should complain to the appropriate regulator. Without complaints, there will be no action.
Many of the people who become victims of this scam may never realise that they have been scammed. However, even if they do, they may not understand that it was a third-party call-forwarding service that benefitted from the generated revenue - as opposed to the organisation they actually spoke to. Anyone who feels they were misled into calling a Call Connection Service number should complain to the appropriate regulator. Without complaints, there will be no action.
Our position
Given the large number of ICSS providers operating on 084 numbers, the fair telecoms campaign believes that all ICSS should come under Phone-paid Services Authority regulation, irrespective of call cost or prefix used. See our response to an Ofcom consultation in 2016 and the associated briefing note.
Important new research carried out in 2017 for the Phone-paid Services Authority by the University of Nottingham shows that when searching for a telephone number online, the vast majority of people do not read, or simply fail to notice, any warnings or disclaimers. The researchers also agree with our position that all ICSS providers should be equally covered by the PSA special conditions for ICSS providers, irrespective of the type of telephone number being used.
The current PSA "Special Conditions for ICSS providers" require an announcement of call charges at the start of the call. As this announcement usually starts after the commencement of charging for the service, we think this is inadequate and believe that instead this message should be a pre-call announcement that is free-to-caller. This would give those who decide to not use the service adequate time to hang up without being charged.
We note that these scam telephone numbers also pervade YouTube, Twitter, Facebook, Pinterest, and many other social media and document archive sites. Clearly, stricter regulation is required.
Important new research carried out in 2017 for the Phone-paid Services Authority by the University of Nottingham shows that when searching for a telephone number online, the vast majority of people do not read, or simply fail to notice, any warnings or disclaimers. The researchers also agree with our position that all ICSS providers should be equally covered by the PSA special conditions for ICSS providers, irrespective of the type of telephone number being used.
The current PSA "Special Conditions for ICSS providers" require an announcement of call charges at the start of the call. As this announcement usually starts after the commencement of charging for the service, we think this is inadequate and believe that instead this message should be a pre-call announcement that is free-to-caller. This would give those who decide to not use the service adequate time to hang up without being charged.
We note that these scam telephone numbers also pervade YouTube, Twitter, Facebook, Pinterest, and many other social media and document archive sites. Clearly, stricter regulation is required.
Ofcom Consultation
On 26 July 2018, Ofcom published their consultation document "Review of the Premium Rate Services Condition - Consultation on extending the definition of Controlled Premium Rate Services to include all Information, Connection and/or Signposting Services" which proposes adding the following text to the definition of Controlled Premium Rate Services (CPRS) in the PRS Condition:
"(iv) the service is an Information, Connection or Signposting Service;"
This is exactly the remedy we suggested.
Our response to the Ofcom consultation can be found here. We are also grateful for support from LITRG and their response can be found here.
"(iv) the service is an Information, Connection or Signposting Service;"
This is exactly the remedy we suggested.
Our response to the Ofcom consultation can be found here. We are also grateful for support from LITRG and their response can be found here.
Ofcom Statement
On 19 December 2018, Ofcom published their Statement on changes to the regulations surrounding ICSS. In summary, all ICSS irrespective of prefix or price will be defined as Controlled Premium Rate Services from 16 January 2019. This means that all such services must comply with the PSA regulations detailed in their general Code of Practice.
PSA News Release and Compliance Update
Also on 19 December 2018, PSA published a news release and a compliance update. These documents remind existing and newly covered ICSS operators of their obligations under the general PSA Code of Practice as well as ICSS operating on 087 and 09 numbers of their need to comply with the additional Special Conditions for ICSS.
PSA also signalled their intention to consult on adding further Special Conditions for ICSS as well as extending those Special Conditions to cover all such services operating on 084 numbers.
PSA also signalled their intention to consult on adding further Special Conditions for ICSS as well as extending those Special Conditions to cover all such services operating on 084 numbers.
PSA Consultation
On 19 April 2019, PSA published their consultation document "Consultation on changes to regulatory framework for ICSS" and an associated news release. PSA proposes to update and revise their Special Conditions for ICSS and extend them to cover all such services irrespective of call price or prefix used. The main aim is to ensure that services operating on numbers starting 084 will also be subject to the same conditions as those operating on numbers starting 087 or 09.
The consultation is open until 10 June 2019.
The consultation is open until 10 June 2019.
Media coverage
BBC One Wales covered this issue in March 2017. See www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b08jqcjt or the programme extract below...
BBC Radio 4 "You and Yours" also covered a new variation of this scam where numerous entries on Google Maps carry incorrect telephone numbers. Listen to www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b09z1d3p#playt=0h01m02s or www.fairtelecoms.org.uk/radio.html?234.
Further information
A list of further reading material can be found here (PDF).
Amended: 2019-04-22
