Telemarketing Scam

Your phone rings in the middle of dinner. You race to answer it, but the caller is neither a friend nor family. It's a stranger - a telemarketer, to be exact - trying to sell you a product or a service.

This scenario is probably repeated in thousands of homes each evening, creating increasing annoyance on the part of consumers who then seek out ways to identify and avoid telemarketing calls. Caller ID is one way. Mp>The new "Do-Not-Call" registration law for consumers who want to block some telemarketing calls is available both on the state and federal level.

However, these registries have spawned a new scam that feeds on the increasing frustration consumers have with telemarketers.

The Scam Works Something Like This

You receive a telephone call from someone claiming to be an official of your state Do-Not-Call registry or of an antifraud consumer group. The caller asks if you want to be on a state Do-Not-Call list or to verify your previous registration on such a list.

Eventually the caller asks for personal information, like your Social Security Number, credit card and/or bank account numbers, to confirm that the caller is talking with the correct person. Armed with your personal information, the perpetrator can access your accounts and personal records, and often uses this access to steal money, make unauthorized purchases, steal your identity, etc.

What You Should Know

Signing up for state sponsored (and soon Federal sponsored)Do-Not-Call is initiated by THE CONSUMER. It is either Free or requires a fee. Once you are signed up on a state (soon Federal) Do-Not-Call registry, there is generally no reason you should receive any follow-up calls. You should never need to verify your registration with bank credit card or Social Security information. If the need for follow-up ever does arise, you should not be asked to provide any personal or financial information over the phone.

What You Can Do

First and most obvious, do not participate in these calls. Hang up! Refuse to provide information to anybody like that over the phone. Second, you can receive more information from the FCC (Federal Communications Commission) through their electronic subscriber service: http://www.fcc.gov/cbg/emailservice.html

SEE ALSO The New Do Not Call Law