Hi, i have received a number of fonecalls on my mobile from a london number, which when answered seemed to be from a marketing company doing a survey on customers.

These people knew my full name and address and my phone number etc. They stated this was all obtained from a publuc database. Does anyone have any idea what this is, and how i can remove my details from it?

Register with the Telephone Preference Service. You’ll find it online.

That may help with the calls, but this isbthe first series i have had. My concern is my details being available to all. Am i just paranoid?

Well, you can also have details removed from the Electoral Roll but it’s a fact of life that many companies sell on your data. You can spend the rest of your days paranoid, whiney and upset about it or just accept the fact that the information is of little practical use other than marketing and the risk of it being “out there” with billions of other folks is minimal.

Unless, of course. You are a terrorist – or a spy.