National Do-not-call registry is useless

[Cyrano]

My mobile phone and land line (yes, I'm a dinosaur with a land line*) are both registered on the national do-not-call list. However, I've had more solicitation calls this year than I ever remember getting in the past. I get at least one or two a day on my mobile phone. I thought that no public directory existed for mobile phones, but they're getting it somehow.

Complaints can be registered at donotcall.gov, and I've used it often, to no avail. Evidently, telemarketers have figured out that do-not-call is not enforced by the government and they are going full steam ahead with business as usual.

In case you're interested, the do-not-call number is 888-382-1222.

So if you're registered, what have you been experiencing?


(*I keep a land line because I live in hurricane alley. During heavy winds, relay towers can lose power. I've never lost use of my land line.)

[kelliekat44]

1. I agree. It never stopped a thing for us. nt

[NightWatcher]

2. Use call ID. If you don't know the #, don't answer it

Each time you answer a sales call it tells the dialer that this is a good number to call. It gets you on more lists to call that are sold to other autodial companies.

[CBGLuthier]

3. Our state one worked well until they replaced it with the federal one.

The complete and utter lack of recourse dooms it to failure. if we could get a mere ten bucks a call as a penalty I wold spend my day filing complaints.

The newest trick the scammier ones are using is to spoof the caller ID so it shows your own name and phone number. Twice I have answered because I saw the name and assumed my wife was calling from her cell. How the fuck they get away with abusing the tech like that is beyond me.

[NV Whino]

4. There are too many loopholes

Nonprofits are allowed to call and polling people are allowed to call. And then there are the people who blatantly disregard the law.

Caller ID, and don't answer unless you recognize the number. If it is a legitimate call, they will leave a message. That's my solution.

[Gormy Cuss]

5. It worked well for a few years but in the past five years it's as if they've forgotten about it.

By they I mean the Feds.

[alsame]

7. I agree. The calls almost

disappeared for a few years, now they are constant.

[Shrike47]

6. I wonder if there is any funding for enforcement?

We get those calls, too, and it's damned annoying. But I bet our Repuke politicians don't! I also bet they refuse to fund the program, since it just protects regular people and not the rich, who can employ call screeners.

[Frustratedlady]

8. I have filled my "blocked caller" box and delete

at least 20 calls/day. Right now, I imagine many are from the Democratic party, but I'm not going to answer any calls from people I don't know or who can't identify themselves.

I have signed up for the DNC list every 6 months or so, but it doesn't seem to help.

[MANative]

9. Robo-dialers outside the US are one of the big issues

And line spoofing is another one. I got a call yesterday from my own number. Since that's not possible, I knew it was garbage. Another one had the caller ID as "Urgent" and I ignored it. The calls are constant on both my landline (need it for the security system in our house) and my cell. If I don't know the caller, it won't be answered. DNC registration is useless because most of these callers don't care if it's illegal. They're scammers, mostly looking for gullible people who believe that they're from Microsoft or their bank. Even got a text message yesterday from Union Savings Bank saying that my debit card had been blocked and to click on the link to reactivate it. I've never had an account with Union Savings Bank.

My husband had a customer in his store a few days ago, looking to buy one of those Green Dot cards to pay the "IRS Agent" on the phone who said that he'd be arrested immediately if he didn't pay the $2500 in taxes that he owed within one hour. Fortunately, hubby convinced the poor fool that it was a scam and he didn't get taken - that time.

Infuriating, all of it.

[Cyrano]

11. There are many phone scams here in FL

Florida has a large senior population and many are perfect targets for scammers. Many seniors are also online and fall for email scams. I know one lady who actually entered her bank account number in answer to an email telling her there was a problem with her checking account. I told her to go to the bank and let them know what happened.

I'm sure there are many such stories. Computers and mobile phones have become a gold mine for criminals.

[hlthe2b]

10. I get more now..

Seems there is a loophole for a cell phone number associated (even as a third back up contact phone number) for any state registered corporation LLC, or single owned business. My cell was included only as a tertiary contact number for official purposes. Now, I get at least three Google advertising spam phone calls and multiple other phone solicitations daily.

Needless to say, I screen all calls, now, enter in any number I don't recognize into a search to confirm they are solicitors. It is awkward though and inconvenient, though, since I may miss legitimate calls, forcing me to play phone tag.

[aint_no_life_nowhere]

12. Same here

I get just as many as before I registered with do-not-call. What I do notice is that when I pick up the phone for a call from a phone bank I hear a little electronic "boop" sound. That's a tip off that a solicitation is in the works so I hang up before they pick up the phone. The phone banks have also started using some kind of automated system that sounds almost like a real person, with a robot voice able to generate seemingly spontaneous questions and conversation. It might take me a couple of questions before I realize it isn't a real human being trying to pitch me something.

[bluedigger]

13. "Juan" has been calling two or three times a day to sell me extended auto waranty.

From Texas, NY, CT, and now VA. He knows better than to answer now, but it doesn't stop his robodialer. So I text him love messages instead.

[Nye Bevan]

14. It only works for law-abiding companies. The "Rachel from Card Services" calls come from criminals,

who disregard the DNC list, illegally cold-call cellphones, and "spoof" the caller ID so that even when you report them there is no easy way for the FCC to track them down. They will try to get your credit card number and/or banking information. And while they claim to be able to reduce your interest rate, all they do is ask the card issuer to lower your rate, just like you can do, and they will have no more success at achieving a lower rate than you would do by asking yourself, and they will charge something like $995 to your card in exchange for doing this.

[intaglio]

15. As far as I am aware there are several ways companies get round this

First and most obvious, they call from overseas because you cannot regulate calls originating from another country without a treaty to enforce it.

Second they use autodialers which dial all numbers in a given area - because they are not calling you directly. I believe that loophole might have been closed in some areas.

Third the marketing companies used to have people calling from home using paper lists, those were then private calls

Fourth, you know all the times you give out your phone number when ordering on the internet, or those times a store asks for your phone number when you are buying a big ticket item, or when you offer to help out a charity on the street? Unless you are very careful there is usually a clause which allows marketing calls to be made to you which you have to opt out of, this clause is often separate from the one saying no marketing e-mails. you not opting out allows the calls to be made.