Comments on: 5 Ways to Avoid Telemarketers and Their Spoofing Ways http://www.mint.com/blog/consumer-iq/5-ways-to-avoid-telemarketers-and-their-spoofing-ways-042012/ The blog of the free, simple personal finance solution. Track all your spending automatically, find the best deals, save more money. And save the world. Wed, 06 Feb 2013 11:28:17 +0000 hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.4.2 By: LeShia http://www.mint.com/blog/consumer-iq/5-ways-to-avoid-telemarketers-and-their-spoofing-ways-042012/comment-page-1/#comment-135398 LeShia Wed, 18 Apr 2012 23:04:13 +0000 http://www.mint.com/blog/?p=33268#comment-135398 Be leery of the DNC List, I put our home phone on that list which had previously NOT gotten telemarketer calls, trying to be proactive.. Ha Ha, well. Now we get sometimes 5 or more a week. Be leery of the DNC List, I put our home phone on that list which had previously NOT gotten telemarketer calls, trying to be proactive.. Ha Ha, well. Now we get sometimes 5 or more a week.

]]> By: Lynn http://www.mint.com/blog/consumer-iq/5-ways-to-avoid-telemarketers-and-their-spoofing-ways-042012/comment-page-1/#comment-135393 Lynn Wed, 18 Apr 2012 20:58:26 +0000 http://www.mint.com/blog/?p=33268#comment-135393 The "National Do Not Call Registry" is a national joke. Registering there seemingly does nothing. I registered our home number as well as all the family's cell numbers as soon as the site was created and the telemarketer calls keep on coming. I even re-registered on the "List" just in case. I routinely report the endless telemarketer calls (upwards of 12 a day) to the "National Do Not Call Registry" and still the phone rings. I specifically call our cell phone provider (Verizon) to report telemarketing calls & text messages as they do keep a list and try to stop them. These companies are insidious and nothing stops them. The “National Do Not Call Registry” is a national joke. Registering there seemingly does nothing. I registered our home number as well as all the family’s cell numbers as soon as the site was created and the telemarketer calls keep on coming. I even re-registered on the “List” just in case. I routinely report the endless telemarketer calls (upwards of 12 a day) to the “National Do Not Call Registry” and still the phone rings. I specifically call our cell phone provider (Verizon) to report telemarketing calls & text messages as they do keep a list and try to stop them. These companies are insidious and nothing stops them.

]]> By: Ed http://www.mint.com/blog/consumer-iq/5-ways-to-avoid-telemarketers-and-their-spoofing-ways-042012/comment-page-1/#comment-135389 Ed Wed, 18 Apr 2012 18:33:01 +0000 http://www.mint.com/blog/?p=33268#comment-135389 Unfortunately, if the telemarketers get ahold of their cellphone number, they're royally screwed. When my wife and I were starting out 15 years or so ago, our new house and phone became solicitor central. Our phone rang constantly and even an answering machine couldn't handle the call volume! I saw a device being advertised as a robo-call blocker. You see, phone solicitors do not dial your number manually. A computer system dials your number and waits for you to answer. When you do, the computer connects the call with a solicitor who is not busy. If the number the computer is dialing is an out-of-service number, the phone company sends a specific tone that tells the computer dialer that the number they dialed is out of service. Well, no point in forwarding that connection to a solicitor, and no point keeping that number in the database, so the computer disconnects the call and removes the number from the database. Note, this is required by law that all robo-dialers *MUST* have this functionality! Well, for $19 I was able to buy a device that sits on my phone line. Whenever any extension picks up the call, you can hear a tone. This works for answering machines too! After about a year of using this thing, all soliciting calls stopped. Sure, I still get government and charity calls...and if a solicitor manually dials my number, it will come through, but those are very rare! Several times, our number got back on a list or two but again, in about a month, the calls stop... I highly recommend these things....get one, you won't be disappointed! Unfortunately, if the telemarketers get ahold of their cellphone number, they’re royally screwed.
When my wife and I were starting out 15 years or so ago, our new house and phone became solicitor central. Our phone rang constantly and even an answering machine couldn’t handle the call volume!
I saw a device being advertised as a robo-call blocker.
You see, phone solicitors do not dial your number manually. A computer system dials your number and waits for you to answer. When you do, the computer connects the call with a solicitor who is not busy. If the number the computer is dialing is an out-of-service number, the phone company sends a specific tone that tells the computer dialer that the number they dialed is out of service. Well, no point in forwarding that connection to a solicitor, and no point keeping that number in the database, so the computer disconnects the call and removes the number from the database. Note, this is required by law that all robo-dialers *MUST* have this functionality!
Well, for $19 I was able to buy a device that sits on my phone line. Whenever any extension picks up the call, you can hear a tone. This works for answering machines too!
After about a year of using this thing, all soliciting calls stopped. Sure, I still get government and charity calls…and if a solicitor manually dials my number, it will come through, but those are very rare! Several times, our number got back on a list or two but again, in about a month, the calls stop…
I highly recommend these things….get one, you won’t be disappointed!

]]> By: jill http://www.mint.com/blog/consumer-iq/5-ways-to-avoid-telemarketers-and-their-spoofing-ways-042012/comment-page-1/#comment-135306 jill Mon, 16 Apr 2012 20:34:34 +0000 http://www.mint.com/blog/?p=33268#comment-135306 If you call your cell phone company before the bill due date and tell them it is an unauthorized charge, they often will refund it and remove any other future pending charges related to it. Also to ensure you don't get more charges, ask to have these "premium messaging" services blocked on your cell phone lines. If you call your cell phone company before the bill due date and tell them it is an unauthorized charge, they often will refund it and remove any other future pending charges related to it. Also to ensure you don’t get more charges, ask to have these “premium messaging” services blocked on your cell phone lines.

]]> By: Kaleb http://www.mint.com/blog/consumer-iq/5-ways-to-avoid-telemarketers-and-their-spoofing-ways-042012/comment-page-1/#comment-135301 Kaleb Mon, 16 Apr 2012 18:18:30 +0000 http://www.mint.com/blog/?p=33268#comment-135301 Ginger: complain to your phone company. I've gotten repeated calls from "Card Holder Services". Did a little bit of research on them-- they are scumbags. Ginger: complain to your phone company.

I’ve gotten repeated calls from “Card Holder Services”. Did a little bit of research on them– they are scumbags.

]]> By: Alan http://www.mint.com/blog/consumer-iq/5-ways-to-avoid-telemarketers-and-their-spoofing-ways-042012/comment-page-1/#comment-135288 Alan Mon, 16 Apr 2012 07:26:55 +0000 http://www.mint.com/blog/?p=33268#comment-135288 Telemarketers are evil... Telemarketers are evil…

]]> By: Ginger http://www.mint.com/blog/consumer-iq/5-ways-to-avoid-telemarketers-and-their-spoofing-ways-042012/comment-page-1/#comment-135185 Ginger Thu, 12 Apr 2012 21:30:27 +0000 http://www.mint.com/blog/?p=33268#comment-135185 So what do you do about texts that sign you up for an unwanted service that's $10/month and charge that $10 to your phone bill even if you reply "STOP" immediately? This should be illegal. So what do you do about texts that sign you up for an unwanted service that’s $10/month and charge that $10 to your phone bill even if you reply “STOP” immediately? This should be illegal.

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