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Senior Alert
FTC Warns of Scam to Put Cell Phone in Do Not Call
Registry
FTC has Web page especially for senior citizen
consumers
April 20, 2005 - If youve received an e-mail
telling you that your cell phone is about to be assaulted by
telemarketing calls as a result of a new cell phone number database,
rest assured that this is not the case, according to the Federal Trade
Commission. Telemarketing to cell phone numbers has always been illegal
in most cases and will continue to be so.
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Seniors and Others Worry About Privacy with New
Wireless 411 Information System
States moving to protect consumer privacy as system
gets close
April 21, 2005 Senior citizens, maybe more than
others, appreciate having a cell phone with the number only shared with
family and friends. There are no unwanted calls, other than an
occasional wrong number. This may change, however, as the new wireless
411 service comes online this year. If all goes according to plan,
however, your number won't be listed unless you ask to list it.
Read more...
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FTC Web page for
Senior Citizen Consumer Safety
Click Here |
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In response to recent e-mail campaigns urging
consumers to place their cell phone numbers on the National Do Not Call
Registry, the Federal Trade Commission and Federal Communications
Commission issued this advisory to give consumers the facts.
One e-mail making the rounds says:
JUST A REMINDER...In a few weeks, cell phone
numbers are being released to telemarketing companies and you will start
to receive sale calls. YOU WILL BE CHARGED FOR THESE CALLS... To prevent
this, call the following number from your cell phone: 888/382-1222. It
is the National DO NOT CALL list. It will only take a minute of your
time. It blocks your number for five (5) years. PASS THIS ON TO ALL YOUR
FRIENDS...
Another version claims:
The Federal Trade Commission has set up a "do
not call" list. It is called a cell phone registry. To be included on
the "do not call" list, you must call from the number you wish to
register.
Heres what you need to know about the National Do
Not Call Registry program:
> FCC regulations prohibit telemarketers from
using automated dialers to call cell phone numbers. Automated dialers
are standard in the industry, so most telemarketers are barred from
calling consumers on their cell phones without their consent.
> The federal government does not maintain a
national cell phone registry. Personal cell phone users have always been
able to add their numbers to the National Do Not Call Registry the
same Registry consumers use to register their land lines either online
at
www.donotcall.gov or by calling toll-free 1-888-382-1222 from the
telephone number they wish to register. Registrations become effective
within 31 days of signing up and are active for five years. There is no
cut-off date or deadline for registrations.
> Business-to-business calls are not covered
under the Registry.
For More Information
To learn more about the National Do Not Call
Registry and the rules that enforce it, visit
http://www.ftc.gov/donotcall/.
For more information about a planned wireless 411
directory, visit
http://www.qsent.com/wireless411/index.shtml.
The FTC works for the consumer to prevent
fraudulent, deceptive, and unfair business practices in the marketplace
and to provide information to help consumers spot, stop, and avoid them.
To file a complaint in English or Spanish (bilingual counselors are
available to take complaints), or to get free information on any of 150
consumer topics, call toll-free, 1-877-FTC-HELP (1-877-382-4357), or use
the complaint form at
www.ftc.gov.
The FTC enters Internet, telemarketing, identity
theft, and other fraud-related complaints into Consumer Sentinel, a
secure, online database available to hundreds of civil and criminal law
enforcement agencies in the U.S. and abroad.
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