I have registered my mobile phone under the Do Not Call Register.
I receive a phone call from a Singapore mobile No. It is for a telemarketer calling about a financial market product.
I decided to take the trouble to lodge a complaint with PDPA.
I went to https://donotcall.gov.sg.
I got a warning from it is an "unsafe" site. What? The PDPA site is "unsafe"?
Yes - they do not use https:// A govt agency? What a shame.
I went through their complicated website (which is typical of govt agencies) and, after some trouble, found a link to report an unsolicited message:
Quote
Unsolicited SMSes or calls from unknown sources that are related to loans, financial assistance or online gambling are likely to be associated with unlicensed moneylending and illegal gambling activities. The PDPC investigates all complaints regarding unsolicited telemarketing SMSes or calls seriously. However, unlicensed moneylending and illegal gambling are serious criminal offences in Singapore where the Police are the relevant authority to investigate such offences. If you receive such SMSes or calls, please notify the Police directly by:
(a) lodging a Police Report;
(b) calling the National Crime Prevention Council's 'X Ah Long' Hotline at 1800-924-5664 (1800-X-AH-LONG); or
(c) providing information via I-Witness.
Complaints received by the PDPC relating to such activities will be referred to the Police.
unquote
It is a shameful practice by PDPA. They expect me to lodge a police report? This is the poor standard of our govt agency.
What is is a better approach?
a) They should allow me to register the calling number, time of call and my mobile No into the website.
b) They can call or send a SMS to warn that No about the infringement of PDPA. This call from PDPA should be effective in eradicating the problem.
c) If the same telemarketer continue to make unsolicited calls, PDPA can lodge the police report.
Most of the telemarketers are just trying to make a living. They do not want to break the law.
I know that it is difficult to catch the telemarketers calling from overseas, but what about dealing with the local calls?
If our govt agency continues to take the easy way out, and push the problem to somebody else, in this case the Police, the problem can never be solved.
Tan Kin Lian
I receive a phone call from a Singapore mobile No. It is for a telemarketer calling about a financial market product.
I decided to take the trouble to lodge a complaint with PDPA.
I went to https://donotcall.gov.sg.
I got a warning from it is an "unsafe" site. What? The PDPA site is "unsafe"?
Yes - they do not use https:// A govt agency? What a shame.
I went through their complicated website (which is typical of govt agencies) and, after some trouble, found a link to report an unsolicited message:
Quote
Unsolicited SMSes or calls from unknown sources that are related to loans, financial assistance or online gambling are likely to be associated with unlicensed moneylending and illegal gambling activities. The PDPC investigates all complaints regarding unsolicited telemarketing SMSes or calls seriously. However, unlicensed moneylending and illegal gambling are serious criminal offences in Singapore where the Police are the relevant authority to investigate such offences. If you receive such SMSes or calls, please notify the Police directly by:
(a) lodging a Police Report;
(b) calling the National Crime Prevention Council's 'X Ah Long' Hotline at 1800-924-5664 (1800-X-AH-LONG); or
(c) providing information via I-Witness.
Complaints received by the PDPC relating to such activities will be referred to the Police.
unquote
It is a shameful practice by PDPA. They expect me to lodge a police report? This is the poor standard of our govt agency.
What is is a better approach?
a) They should allow me to register the calling number, time of call and my mobile No into the website.
b) They can call or send a SMS to warn that No about the infringement of PDPA. This call from PDPA should be effective in eradicating the problem.
c) If the same telemarketer continue to make unsolicited calls, PDPA can lodge the police report.
Most of the telemarketers are just trying to make a living. They do not want to break the law.
I know that it is difficult to catch the telemarketers calling from overseas, but what about dealing with the local calls?
If our govt agency continues to take the easy way out, and push the problem to somebody else, in this case the Police, the problem can never be solved.
Tan Kin Lian
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