Your Cell Number Will Be Available To Telemarketers, UNLESS YOU ACT NOW!!!

No need for alarm, this odd bit of chain mail based fear-mongering has been goin around for some time now.

The truth:
"Unlike most numbers we report on, (888) 382-1222 is a number that people have been asked to call, not necessarily one that you'll get a call from. The number belongs to the government's national Do Not Call List. However, if you get an email urging you to call this number because your cell phone number is about to be released, you can safely ignore it...

Call Report for (888) 382-1222
Caller ID: Government Do Not Call List
Area Code: Toll Free
Legitimate Calling Number? YES
Legitimate E-Mail? NO
Details: The (888) 382-1222 Email Scam - A chain email is being circulated once again (this email has circulated in the past), prompting people to call the government's Do Not Call list (which is legitimate, but if you've already done it unnecessary), and then asking the email recipient to forward the email:
Email Body: The email received reads as follows:
REMEMBER: Cell Phone Numbers Go Public this month.
REMINDER..... all cell phone numbers are being released to telemarketing companies and you will start to receive sales calls.
.... YOU WILL BE CHARGED FOR THESE CALLS
To prevent this, call the following number from your cell phone: 888-382-1222.
It is the National DO NOT CALL list It will only take a minute of your time.. It blocks your number for five (5) years. You must call from the cell phone number you want to have blocked. You cannot call from a different phone number.
HELP OTHERS BY PASSING THIS ON .. It takes about 20 seconds.
Email Scam: The only accurate piece of information in this email is the phone number, which is the government's Do Not Call number. The rest of the information is false. Cell phone numbers are not going public this month. The Do Not Call List permanently blocks your number, not just for 5 years - so once you register a phone number, there's no need to re-register it. And finally, there's no need to pass on the email - by this time, most people are already aware of the Do Not Call list, and sending unsolicited emails around will only serve to aggravate people.
Personal Information Protection

It's important that you take measures to protect your personal information. In the case of an email scam such as the one urging you to call (888) 382-1222 and forward the email, it is in your best interest to Google and research the claims of the email before doing anything. In most cases, unsolicited email messages will be hoaxes or scams, and it is best if you do nothing. If you are concerned about a missed bill payment, inaccurate bank account information, or anything that requires you to take action - it's advised that you contact the requestor directly, by looking them up in the phone book or on the Internet. Finally, never click on links in emails. Always type in the website name directly or do a Google search to find the business, making sure to confirm that the URL posted in the search results appears legitimate.

The Government's Do Not Call List

For those that have not had the opportunity to register their phone numbers on the government's Do Not Call list, you don't have to call (888) 382-1222, you can also visit their website at DoNotCall.gov. Note that your registration will not expire. Telephone numbers placed on the National Do Not Call Registry will remain on it permanently due to the Do-Not-Call Improvement Act of 2007, which became law in February 2008."

Sources:
(888) 382-1222 | Personal Information Protection

snopes.com: Cell Phone Numbers Given to Telemarketers

 

Why do people make this crap up and why do other people repeat it without checking to see if it's true?

 

Also, you can use their website instead of calling in: https://www.donotcall.gov/

you can also verify your registry there if you aren't sure.

 

One man's crap is another man's treasure. But you should probably pass on making that call. With an attitude like yours telemarketers will probably be the only people calling you!

 

It is amazing how many years these undated chain mails can keep going.

On another chain, my household even received the same undated item, with a two week action deadline, from the same friend twice, three years apart.

That part was not crap. But the other 80% of the OP is erroneous and/or seriously outdated and obsolete.

 

KK6PD,

Thanks for the reminder. I went to the government website listed below and it took all of 1 minute to list my cell phone and submit. I had been meaning to do this and just procrastinated.

Dwight

 

Your intention was good, and the reminder about the no-call list is good, but the rest is just fear-mongering spam. It's not a big deal - we all get sucked in on these things from time to time.

In addition to reminding us about the no-call list, this post also reminds us to watch for spam chain letter email.

Tom

 

I probably shouldn't get involved, but you were the first one to copy the whole e-mail, verbatim, into a new thread. Everything was incorrect except the Do Not Call number.

There's a number of red flags with the original content, had we known it came from an e-mail chain as opposed to a news article you had read. The first being "this month" - any e-mail without a start or end date to take action is begging to be misused, like the kid with cancer who wants postcards - he recovered years ago and had to change addresses because of the constant stream of unwanted postcards (supposedly missing children reports are often like this too). There was no reference to a news release or official web site explaining this. Also the phrase "you will be charged for the calls" hearkens back to the time when cell-phones would charge per incoming call (not just get a block of free minutes with the service plan), which seriously dates it.

And finally, whenever it tells me to pass it on, I immediately become obstinate. If it's a good e-mail, it will get passed on by its own merit, not because I'm being told to.

 

More and more scam telemarketers are ignoring the Do Not Call list anyway. I called my local phone company to see if I could report them, since many have spoofed or absent caller ID on the call. Turns out I'd have to jump through more hoops than I care to. I imagine a lot of them originate overseas now, with long-distance rates so cheap, so the list cannot be enforced on them.

I'm on the list, and I'm sure it reduces the number of spam and scam calls I get. But it does not prevent them.

As for using up your air time, just hang up when you hear that 3 or 4 second dead space between answering and someone coming on the line, and don't answer at all when the caller ID is unavailable or has a 000 area code. Those are good policies on a land line phone as well. If the call is legit, they'll leave a message.

And of course, charities, political parties, and any business you've had dealings with are exempt, unless you explicitly tell them not to call you. (Charities almost never operate their own phone banks, so solicitations from charities, are generally paid telemarketers who get a hefty percentage of your contribution. Never pledge money over the phone. Make your contributions directly to your preferred charities by mail, in person, or on their web site, and never as the result of a solicitation.)

 

What a load of cr*p!!! Cellphone numbers are not being released to telemarketers. Here is the snopes.com link snopes.com: Cell Phone Numbers Given to Telemarketers that says the whole thing is FALSE! Enough said.

 

Snopes.com is your friend for stuff like this.

Having your number on the list will stop calls from ethical, law-abiding telemarketers.

Putting your number on the list will also make it available to all unethical, non-law-abiding telemarketers and charities, non-profits, and political campaigns (who are allowed to call the list).

I'm still not sure which way nets fewer calls.

 

That explains why I got 5 call in a week on telling me who and what to vote for. We should start a email chain on DON'T PUT our phone numbers in the donotcalllist.

 

You aren't helping your case. Those dates indicate that this is an old spam chain email, and therefor easier to identify as a fake.

Seriously, don't make a big deal out of this. You got taken in by one of the many fake emails floating around. It's not a big deal, and it happens to everyone once in a while. Trying to play it any other way just makes you look foolish.

Okay everyone, the show is over; nothing to see here; keep moving.



Tom

 

I think I got fewer spam calls after putting my number on the list.

I also have a very different attitude towards the phone than most of the folks I know. I turn it off when I go to bed or take a nap. People can leave a message. I don't answer it if I'm busy. People can leave a message. I don't answer it if I'm not in the mood to talk. People can leave a message. I don't answer if there's no name on the caller ID. I definitely don't answer if the caller ID shows an area code of 000.

If I'm bored I answer and do my best to keep the spammers occupied, as a public service, so they cannot call someone else during those few minutes. I play the game of seeing how long I can make them think I'm actually interested, without giving them any information or making any promises. If they are soliciting for a charity I ask them how much of my money goes to the charity, and how much goes to the company they work for.

The phone does not own you. You do not have to answer every call. If it's important they'll leave a message. It's even easier now since you can make your cell phone ring differently for different numbers, so if it's your kid or your decrepit parent you'll know.

 

just to add my two cents... I've been on the do not call list since it came out, and aside from occasional calls from the Red Cross (who has permission to call me for blood donations), I never get calls from anyone asking for something. No political calls, no scams, no telemarketers. Just friends, family, and local businesses I have reason to talk with (doctor's appointments, etc).

 

Hyperbolic much, Chicken Little? ;-)