by Barbara Nevins Taylor
Will it help? Who knows. But for those of us fed up with telemarketing calls, the latest action in New York State may offer some relief.
Even after we list our numbers on the National Do-Not-Call Registry, telemarketers press on. They often use phony names on caller ID or mask their names in some way to get us to answer our phones.
So we can cheer a little that New York Governor Andrew Cuomo took a step that swats at the scammers.
Cuomo signed legislation to require telemarketers to identify themselves accurately. If only this were enough to make them stop.
We know scammers in the U.S., India and across the globe find ways to circumvent the law. So we can’t cheer without qualification. But it may put a crimp in the activity of telemarketing businesses that fall under state and federal regulations.
HOW TO PUT YOUR NUMBERS ON THE DO-NOT-CALL REGISTRY
If you haven’t put your landline and mobile phone on the National Do-Not-Call Registry go to:
or call: 1-888-382-1222 (TTY 1-866-290-4236).
Once you register your phone number, telemarketers have up to 31 days from the date you register to stop calling you.
Some get exemptions from the law and can call you:
- Political organizations (you probably know this from the 2016 Presidential campaign.)
- Charities
- Pollsters or those conducting surveys.
- Companies that you have done business with may call you for up to 18 months after you register unless you ask them to place your number on their own do-not-call list.
FILE A COMPLAINT FOR EACH UNWANTED CALL
If you continue to get calls after you list your number, file a complaint. Yes. It’s annoying and unfair that the burden falls on you. But take the step to stop and penalize them. The Federal Trade Commission (FTC) can fine a telemarketer $11,000 for every unwanted call they make.
Here’s how to file a Do-Not-Call Registry Complaint.
Go to:
or call 1-888-382-1222 (TTY 1-866-290-4236).
