Registry can cut unwanted sales calls
Signing up for the free National Do Not Call Registry helps reduce the number of unwanted sales calls a person receives.
However, scammers ignore the Do Not Call Registry and that’s why the IRS scam and other phone scams continue to top the list of complaints that the Arkansas Attorney General’s Office receives.
The Do Not Call Registry prohibits telemarketers from calling registered phone numbers if the purpose of the call is to sell goods or services. Companies are also required to search the Do Not Call Registry and update their call list at least once every 31 days. However, scam artists and criminals do not follow any of these rules.
Arkansas Attorney General Leslie Rutledge has recently issued a consumer alert to educate Arkansans about why the Do Not Call Registry does not stop criminals, the IRS scam or other phone calls.
Rutledge reminds consumers of the following circumstances that allow companies and organizations to call consumers: a company with an established business relationship may call you for up to 18 months after the last purchase, delivery or payment, unless the consumer asks the company not to call again; calls for which the consumer has given prior written permission; calls that are not commercial in nature or do not include unsolicited advertisements; and calls by or on behalf of tax-exempt, nonprofit organizations.
To add your phone number to the Do Not Call Registry or to check if you’re already on it, go to DoNotCall. gov or call 1-888-382-1222. If you register online, you will receive a confirmation email and you must click the link in the email to complete the registration.
Arkansans who receive a call from someone claiming to be from the IRS or asking for money are encouraged to call the IRS at 1-800-8291040 or file a complaint online at FTCComplaintAssist.gov by using the words “IRS Telephone Scam” in the notes.
Consumers may also report other phone scams, identity theft, credit and debt problems to the Federal Trade Commission at FTC.gov.
For more information about the Do Not Call Registry contact the Arkansas Attorney General’s office at 1-800-4828982 or online at ArkansasAG.gov.