Tag: Do Not Call Registry

The Do Not Call Registry Doesn’t Stop Scam Calls (But Sign Up Anyway)

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I’ve heard it dozens of times: so-and-so signed up for the Do Not Call Registry a year ago, but they keep getting scam calls, so obviously it doesn’t work. What’s the point?

And I’ve always replied: put your phone numbers on the list anyway.

Why?

Because it’s a filter.

When you put your phone number on the Do Not Call Registry, after a few weeks, you will stop getting calls…from legitimate businesses that use cold calls as their primary sales technique (telemarketers, in other words). Companies that do not want to be shut down for breaking federal laws.

You won’t stop getting calls from scammers. They’re not referring to the registry in the first place because they don’t care. At the same time, you will already know not to even bother picking up the phone, because you know that anyone calling once your phone number is in the Registry is willfully breaking the law. You already know they’re dishonest, without hearing a word they say. All you have to do it let it ring until it stops.

FTC sues three companies for violations of new robocall rules.

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The FTC is taking three companies to task for violations of the new rules regarding automated “robocalls,” which were passed last September.

All three companies used caller ID spoofing (for example, the caller would appear as “Card Services”) to lure victims into paying fees as high as $1,495 for a credit card interest rate renegotiation. Calls would begin with a prerecorded message. Recipients who pressed “1” would be transferred to a telemarketer who would attempt to sell the service.

Those interest rate negotiations never happened, by the way. Victims simply lost several hundred dollars. One company was also selling worthless auto “warranty extensions” on the side.

The FTC has a real laundry list of complaints against all three entities, including:

  1. Calling consumers whose phone numbers are on the National Do Not Call Registry
  2. Calling consumers who had previously asked not to be called
  3. Failing to transmit their caller ID information, as required
  4. Masking their caller ID information
  5. Failing to promptly identify themselves, the purpose of their call, and/or the nature of the goods or services they were selling
  6. Improperly abandoning calls
  7. Failing to make required disclosures in their robocalls.

It’s a real violation gumbo. The three companies named in the suit are:

  • Economic Relief Technologies, LLC
  • Dynamic Financial Group (U.S.A.) Inc.
  • JPM Accelerated Services (JPM)

Punks. I hope the FTC shuts them down completely, and I hope the people behind these operations aren’t able to hide behind their “LLC” and “Inc.” designations. Doesn’t criminal law apply to these swindlers, too?

Once again, though, this all just goes to show something: namely, that you should never pay anyone a fee for help with your credit card debt, and always check out who you’re dealing with beforehand.

Of course, when they’re blatantly lying about who they are, it might be more difficult. I guess the first question to ask yourself is, “Did I contact them, or did they contact me first?”

If you contacted them, and did your homework, you’re probably OK.

If they contaced you, you’re looking at a scam.

Score one for us: federal robocall ban takes effect September 1st

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They were already supposed to be illegal in Indiana, but telemarketing robocalls are banned on the federal level starting Tuesday.

Basically, a robocall involves an automatic phone dialer and an automated message. You’d get a robotic-sounding voice (hence the name) telling you, for example, that the warranty on your car was about to run out, and to press “1” to extend it. The implication was that the call came from the automaker itself, only it didn’t. Quite a few people have been suckered out of a few thousand dollars each because of these things.

There are some exceptions to this new rule, of course. You should still sign up for the national Do Not Call Registry, as well.