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Senior Alert
Don't Fall for Email Hoax about Cell Phone Numbers
Being Made Public
There is no need to add cell phone to any Do Not Call
Registry
 Jan.
21, 2006 Once again fake emails are circulating on the Internet
warning that cell phone numbers will be released to telemarketers soon
and that senior citizens and other users should register their cell
phones with the National Do Not Call (DNC) Registry to be protected. It
is a hoax, says the Federal Trade Commission cell phone numbers are
not being released and there is no need to register with any do not call
list.
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Related Stories |
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What You Need to Know About Cell Phone Numbers,
Do-Not-Call and 411
By Tucker Sutherland, editor
April 27, 2005 - Fueled by the prospect of a
national 411 information system that provides cell phone numbers, there
has been a sea of scam emails that have many senior citizens worried and
puzzled. The stories on this confusion published by SeniorJournal.com
have created a swarm of emails by readers who still want more
information. Here are the basic things you need to know with links to
more details. Read
more...
Read more
Senior Alerts |
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The truth about cell phones and the DNC Registry
is:
● Contrary to the e-mail, cell phone numbers are
NOT being released to telemarketers, and you will NOT soon be getting
telemarketing calls on your cell phone.
● There is NO deadline by which you must register
your cell phone number on the Registry.
● Federal Communications Commission (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 national associations representing
telemarketers have stated that their clients do not intend to start
calling consumers cell phones.
● There is only ONE DNC Registry. There is no
separate registry for cell phones.
● The DNC Registry accepts registrations from
both cell phones and land lines. You must call from the phone number
that you want to register. If you register online, you must respond to a
confirmation e-mail.
● While the telecommunications industry has been
discussing the possibility of creating a wireless 411 directory,
according to the FCC, even if a wireless 411 directory is established,
most telemarketing calls to cell phones would still be illegal,
regardless of whether the number is listed on the federal governments
National Do Not Call Registry.
In addition, according to the industry:
● Your number would not be included in a wireless
411 directory unless you wanted it to be (i.e., you will have to
opt-in); and
● The wireless 411 directory would not be
available in a printed, electronic, or Internet list for telemarketers.
In other words, a list of numbers on the wireless 411 directory would
not be made available to telemarketers.
For More Information
To learn more about the National DNC Registry and
the rules that enforce it, visit the FTC at
www.ftc.gov or the FCC at
www.fcc.gov. 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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