Pensions Helpline warning: Put the phone down - they're trying to make money out of you

Simon Read got a call from a dodgy Salford-based call centre that is a "lead generator" for financial firms

Call centres ae moving on from flogging dodgy double-glazing (Getty)

Someone claiming to be from "the Pensions Helpline" phoned me this week; she was calling about government changes to pensions. Having written about retirement savings for years, and in particular the recent changes that have created such confusion among consumers, I know there's no such thing and so challenged the caller.

She admitted it was actually nothing to do with the Government or its Pensions Wise helpline. Instead – as I later found out – it was a dodgy Salford-based call centre. The saleswoman didn't want to give up easily and offered me a free pensions report if I gave her some personal information. I refused, at which point she harrumphed: "We can't help you then."

A little investigation suggested the firm was set up last month and that the people behind it used to be double-glazing sales people. There's nothing illegal about what the firm does: it is a "lead generator" for financial firms, which then do a hard sell. But it's a warning to all: if anyone calls about pensions, put the phone down. They're trying to make money out of you, not help you.