The next time you fill in contact details for a lucky draw or survey, think twice.
The information is often compiled and sold to third parties looking to expand their customer base, said Consumers Association of Singapore executive director Seah Seng Choon.
Unlike Canada and Japan, Singapore has no privacy law to safeguard personal data from unauthorised commercial use. This means that companies that collect and share or sell such details to third parties are not breaking the law.
In Parliament this January, it was revealed that the Government is reviewing the issue of a privacy law.
Currently, financial institutions have to ensure that their representatives and appointed introducers and telemarketers adhere to guidelines from the Contact Centre Association of Singapore (CCAS).
Drawn up in 2005, the guidelines include:
- Calls limited to between 8am and 9pm on weekdays and Saturdays, and between 10am and 6pm on Sundays.T
- Telemarketers have to state their names, the organisation for which they are calling, and their purpose.
- Consumers can ask to be placed on a Do Not Call list.
CCAS chairman Rowena Row said Singapore does not have a nationwide Do Not Call list.
'But consumers can ask to be put on the list that financial companies are obliged to have by law,' she said.
They should also write in to the organisation.
'If you ask an agent from a third-party outsourcer to remove you from the calling list, the likelihood of that being communicated back to the organisation is very slim. The onus is on you, the consumer, to follow up.'
To avoid getting unsolicited calls, consumers should not provide contact details to strangers, or in mailers and questionnaires, said Mr Seah.
'Most importantly, consumers should not commit to any deals on the phone, especially if they are not sure of the identity of the caller,' he added.
This article was first published in The Straits Times.
