Tired Of Your Phone Ringing? BBB Has Advice

It never seems to fail, you have just put dinner on the table, or you are kicking back in your recliner to take a nap, when your house phone starts ringing.

The National Do Not Call Registry is suppose to stop the annoying calls, but does it really work?

The Federal Trade Commission is the department that handles the National Do Not Call Registry.   Once registered, you do not have to register again.  This means telemarketers are not allowed to call you.

The Better Business Bureau says that not all calls will stop however.

What calls are still allowed under the rules? Here they are:

• Calls from or on behalf of political organizations
• Calls from or on behalf of charities
• Telephone surveyors
• Calls from companies with which you have an existing business relationship
• Calls from companies to whom you’ve provided express agreement in writing to receive their calls

However, if you ask a company with which you have an existing business relationship to place your number on its own do-not-call list, it must honor your request.

Unscrupulous people, like scammers, will ignore this law.  The BBB says you should hang up and then report the call to this address: http://www.donotcall.gov.

Scammers will try to use anything they can to get you to say "yes.".  Here are some things to listen for that might indicate you are about to be scammed:

• You've been specially selected (for this offer).
• You'll get a free bonus if you buy our product.
• You've won one of five valuable prizes.
• You've won big money in a foreign lottery.
• This investment is low risk and provides a higher return than you can get anywhere else.
• You have to make up your mind right away.
• You trust me, right?
• You don't need to check our company with anyone.
• We'll just put the shipping and handling charges on your credit card.

If you hear one of these lines, or if you are uncomfortable, you should just hang up on them.  The same goes for recorded messages as they say for the most part they are illegal unless you have given the company written permission to call you.

So what do you do if you get one of these calls?  Hang up and then report it to the http://www.ftc.gov/complaint or call them at 888-382-1222.