.....................Regretfully those 'Vote For Me!' political robocalls and some of those live 'buy this' calls will continue.
So yesterday I got a call on my cell from 202-495-7148 but aI do not answer it as it is not a number I recognize. When I googled it I find it is one used by telemarketers. What I want to know is what the governement could do should I report this number should the telemarketers use such a number after September 1st? You see they have equipment that can "spoof" any number they want. So the number you see on caller ID is not necessarily the number they are calling from. Read on:
*Update Sept 22, 2009 330-433-5839 robocall today
*Update Sept 24th 330433-5839 called three times within an hour and a half late this evening. The first two times they did not leave a message but the third time the message was,"This is a survey call. We'll call again later." I have received that message from the same voice jtwice before saying they were wanting to take a constituate survey.
Many (not all) of those annoying prerecorded telemarketing calls will be history starting Sept. 1.
The Federal Trade Commission said Thursday, Aug. 27, 2009, that it's banning robocalls, unless the telemarketer has written permission from a customer that he or she wants to receive these calls. So be sure to read all the extra fine print before you sign anything. Telemarketers love to hit you with a 'gotcha' on those 'Win the car!' cards you fill out at the Mall.
FTC Chairman Jon Leibowitz said American consumers have made it "crystal clear that few things annoy them more than the billions of commercial telemarketing robocalls they receive every year."
Violaters will face penalties of up to $16,000 per call.
The ban is part of the amendments to the FTC's Telemarketing Sales Rule unveiled a year ago.
There are exceptions. Calls that are not trying to sell goods and services to consumers will be exempt, such as those that provide information like flight cancellations and delivery notices and those from debt collectors.
Other calls not covered by the Telemarketing Sales Rule include those from politicians, charities that contact consumers directly, banks, insurers, phone companies, survey calls and certain health care messages such as prescription notifications. These don't fall under the jurisdiction of the FTC, a commission spokesman said. (and those are the ones that presently bug the $*&% out of me these days)
Before the ban, consumers had to join a do-not-call list to avoid prerecorded telemarketing calls. But after Sept. 1, consumers shouldn't get most of these calls anymore. If they do get one, they can file a complaint with the commission online through FTC.gov or by calling 1-877-FTC-HELP (1-877-382-4357). (don't you just love those phone number given as spelled words)
If you are already on the National Do Not Call Registry you should not be getting live and prerecorded telemarketing calls. Now, everyl consumer is protected from getting most robocalls leaving telemarketers with the limited option of making a live call to someone not on the registry.
"If consumers think they're being harassed by robocallers, they need to let us know, and we will go after them," Leibowitz said.
So yesterday I got a call on my cell from 202-495-7148 but aI do not answer it as it is not a number I recognize. When I googled it I find it is one used by telemarketers. What I want to know is what the governement could do should I report this number should the telemarketers use such a number after September 1st? You see they have equipment that can "spoof" any number they want. So the number you see on caller ID is not necessarily the number they are calling from. Read on:
*Update Sept 22, 2009 330-433-5839 robocall today
*Update Sept 24th 330433-5839 called three times within an hour and a half late this evening. The first two times they did not leave a message but the third time the message was,"This is a survey call. We'll call again later." I have received that message from the same voice jtwice before saying they were wanting to take a constituate survey.
Many (not all) of those annoying prerecorded telemarketing calls will be history starting Sept. 1.
The Federal Trade Commission said Thursday, Aug. 27, 2009, that it's banning robocalls, unless the telemarketer has written permission from a customer that he or she wants to receive these calls. So be sure to read all the extra fine print before you sign anything. Telemarketers love to hit you with a 'gotcha' on those 'Win the car!' cards you fill out at the Mall.
FTC Chairman Jon Leibowitz said American consumers have made it "crystal clear that few things annoy them more than the billions of commercial telemarketing robocalls they receive every year."
Violaters will face penalties of up to $16,000 per call.
The ban is part of the amendments to the FTC's Telemarketing Sales Rule unveiled a year ago.
There are exceptions. Calls that are not trying to sell goods and services to consumers will be exempt, such as those that provide information like flight cancellations and delivery notices and those from debt collectors.
Other calls not covered by the Telemarketing Sales Rule include those from politicians, charities that contact consumers directly, banks, insurers, phone companies, survey calls and certain health care messages such as prescription notifications. These don't fall under the jurisdiction of the FTC, a commission spokesman said. (and those are the ones that presently bug the $*&% out of me these days)
Before the ban, consumers had to join a do-not-call list to avoid prerecorded telemarketing calls. But after Sept. 1, consumers shouldn't get most of these calls anymore. If they do get one, they can file a complaint with the commission online through FTC.gov or by calling 1-877-FTC-HELP (1-877-382-4357). (don't you just love those phone number given as spelled words)
If you are already on the National Do Not Call Registry you should not be getting live and prerecorded telemarketing calls. Now, everyl consumer is protected from getting most robocalls leaving telemarketers with the limited option of making a live call to someone not on the registry.
"If consumers think they're being harassed by robocallers, they need to let us know, and we will go after them," Leibowitz said.
