Euro MP presses Parliament to get to grips with telephone and internet scams (Diana Wallis MEP)

Diana Wallis MEP <info@dianawallismep.org.uk>

Euro MP presses Parliament to get to grips with telephone and internet scams

February 24, 2005 10:59 AM

Local Euro MP Diana Wallis is hoping that the European Parliament will this week support amendments she has tabled that will make telephone prize scams and rogue internet trading illegal.

Liberal Democrat Diana Wallis MEP, a member of the Internal Market Committee, says, "I have received many letters from people from across the region who have experienced the problem of incessant and unwanted phone calls telling them they have won a prize. When the number is rung back the caller is strung along for a premium phone call usually lasting several minutes, costing up to a hundred pounds. Many of these traders base themselves in another country, for example, in Ireland, to escape action. My amendment will help to get to grips with this both at home and abroad, by making this practice illegal."

"Also there have been a number of instances of consumers misleading other consumers through websites such as eBay with vendors posing as a private seller or a seller's agent when they actually are acting as a business or trade."

"As consumers they fall outside the normal consumer protection legislation and so no redress is available. Again my amendment will cover this malpractice."

Ms. Wallis MEP has tabled these amendments to the Unfair Commercial Practices Directive (so-called Bresso Report). The amendments have already been agreed by the Internal Market Committee and the whole Parliament will debate these on Wednesday 23rd February and vote on Thursday 24th February. Diana Wallis's amendments are likely to be supported overwhelmingly by the Parliament. Once these are agreed national governments have up to two years to implement the legislation.

Ends.