DON’T “Dial 3” To Be Taken Off the Caller’s List

Are you on the national Do Not Call registry? Scammers don’t care.

Who Is It Targeting: Phone owners, especially cell phones

What Is It: Robocalls that offer you the option to be taken off their lists

What Are They After: If you have had phone service for some time, you might remember when the national Do Not Call registry was formed. Initially, it was up to citizens to inform each and every telemarketer that they wanted to be placed on that company’s “do not call” list. Once the registry was formed, there were penalties for calling phone numbers who’d already registered.

Scammers don’t care about those regulations, though. If you receive a robocall, you can rest assured they’re operating outside the law unless they meet very specific guidelines. Unfortunately, many of the robocall messages include the option to “press three” to be placed on their “do not call” list. Don’t do it! You’re already on the national registry, so all you’re doing is confirming that your phone number is in service and someone will answer, meaning the scammers may reuse or sell your information.

How Can You Avoid It:

• Sign up your phone number for the national Do Not Call registry.
• If you receive a phone call from a number you don’t recognize, you’re free to ignore it; if it was important, they’ll leave a message.
• If you take the call or if you return a missed call, DO NOT press the number to be placed on their list. Simply hang up.

If you think you may be a victim of identity theft, contact the Identity Theft Resource Center for toll-free, no-cost assistance at (888) 400-5530. Find more information about current scams and alerts here. For full details of this scam check out this article from WSRP.com.