An 85-year-old woman from Carmarthenshire, who was heartbroken by a barrage of nuisance calls, has finally found relief thanks to a clever little gadget. This lady, battling Alzheimer’s, was distressed and often in tears from dozens of daily unwanted calls, even getting caught up with a scammer demanding her bank details.
Her saviour? A nifty device called trueCall, installed by her niece and the local council’s Trading Standards team. With the gadget set to allow only trusted numbers through, peace was restored. Now, she only hears from familiar voices, and it’s working a treat!
Since the initiative launched in 2014, the council’s call-blocking devices have stopped a staggering 230,029 nuisance calls, including nearly 50,000 known scam numbers. This has saved residents over £1.3 million, and local authorities have saved an impressive £805,000.
Councillor Aled Vaughan Owen highlighted the real impact behind these numbers: countless families experiencing relief from the stress of constant, disruptive calls. Plus, advanced monitoring technology has been developed to track and check on suspicious numbers, with 155 alerts generating crucial investigations since 2022.
While the service hasn’t yet reached every elderly and vulnerable resident, the demand is still high. The team is even working on a mobile version of the call-blocking device, ensuring more people can enjoy the same peace of mind.
Councillor Kevin Madge chimed in, sharing the universal struggle, “Let’s be honest, nuisance calls—we all experience them now.”
This heartening story of tech bringing peace to our beloved elderly is a reminder of how small changes can make a big difference! 📞✨