mysecurepc.com blog

Before you lock in to a new phone number, do some quick due diligence. Go to callercomplaints.com and search on the new telephone number to make sure it is not “polluted”. Getting a new phone number that has a bad history, especially for a business, can be devastating. It is not worth the time to deal with nagging creditors calling about someone you don’t know (i.e. who had the phone number previously). Don’t forget to register your new phone number on the national do-not-call registry.

Doug

I added a few more helpful tips to mysecurepc.com’s stop telemarketers page.

Doug

Recently Smartlab Software changed telephone numbers and immediately registered with the national do not call registry.

One of the problems with a new telephone number is you have no idea of its history. The day we changed over the uninvited phone calls started. They were from a collection agency looking for a Kathleen. They were ususally automated but sometimes from a call center in India. The phone numbers showed up in caller id but emanate from several sources. After repeatly hanging up on them, not answering, telling them we were a business and not Kathleen, we finally filed a complaint. Though technically the phone calls were not from telemarketers, we thought the complaint process would work.

And it worked. Within one day the phone calls stopped. BTW, only the name of the business and the city and state were given in the personal information section.

The Federal Trade Commission’s do not call list started receiving numbers in June, 2003. The expiration date was 5 years later…June 2008. The telemarketers are salivating at that date because they know people will forget to reregister their phone numbers. After all their are 149 million registered numbers.

The FTC plans on a program to alert people to reregister their phones starting next year.

For the most part annoying telephone calls have dropped dramatically though some telemarketers still abuse the system.

The program is supported by the government requiring telemarketers to pay annual subscription fees so they have access to blocked numbers so their autodial programs will not call them.

How to Reregister

People can register their home and cell phone numbers or file complaints at donotcall.gov or by calling 1-888-382-1222.
Do not forget that organizations engaged in charitable, political or survey work are exempt. Also companies that have an established business relationship with a customer also may call for up to 18 months after the last purchase, payment or delivery.

Doug