National do not call registry (cell phones)

[Stormin Norman]

I believe this only pertains to US residents.

JUST A REMINDER 31 days from today, cell phone numbers are
being released to telemarketing companies and you will start to
receive sale calls. YOU WILL BE CHARGED FOR THESE CALLS. These
Telemarketers will eat up your free minutes and end up costing you
money in the long run. 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.



PASS THIS ON TO ALL YOUR FRIENDS



You can register on line at:
www.donotcall.gov/

[drjtech]

This is a hoax.

This is a link off of the http://www.donotcall.gov/ link you provided:

http://www.ftc.gov/opa/2005/04/dnc.htm

The Truth about Cell Phones and the National Do Not Call Registry

If you’ve received an e-mail telling you that your cell phone is about to be assaulted by telemarketing calls as a result of a new cell phone number database, rest assured that this is not the case. Telemarketing to cell phone numbers has always been illegal in most cases and will continue to be so. In response to recent e-mail campaigns urging consumers to place their cell phone numbers on the National Do Not Call Registry, the Federal Trade Commission and Federal Communications Commission issue this advisory to give consumers the facts.

One e-mail making the rounds says:

“JUST A REMINDER...In a few weeks, cell phone numbers are being released to telemarketing companies and you will start to receive sale 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. PASS THIS ON TO ALL YOUR FRIENDS...”

Another version claims:

“The Federal Trade Commission has set up a "do not call" list. It is called a cell phone registry. To be included on the "do not call" list, you must call from the number you wish to register.”

Here’s what you need to know about the National Do Not Call Registry program:

FCC regulations prohibit telemarketers from using automated dialers to call cell phone numbers. Automated dialers are standard in the industry, so most telemarketers are barred from calling consumers on their cell phones without their consent.

The federal government does not maintain a national cell phone registry. Personal cell phone users have always been able to add their numbers to the National Do Not Call Registry — the same Registry consumers use to register their land lines — either online at www.donotcall.gov or by calling toll-free 1-888-382-1222 from the telephone number they wish to register. Registrations become effective within 31 days of signing up and are active for five years. There is no cut-off date or deadline for registrations.

Business-to-business calls are not covered under the Registry.

You can register your cell phone if you want to, but there is no particular advantage to doing so.

-drj

[Deku Scrub]

I have received this email about five times in the last 6 months.
Snopes.com says it's nothing to worry about; that's good enough for me.

[Cobra]

How could you be charged for a call that you didn't make, or give explicit permission for reverse-charges to be made? That's what the law calls "theft", and the telecommunications companies can't allow it to happen.

[SquirrelDip]

How could you be charged for a call that you didn't make...

Don't you generally pay for the time when someone calls you??? Some providers offer free incoming calls but I believe most do not...

[Stormin Norman]

I guess the registration end date would be a hoax, but the rest isnt. Why not be safe than sorry. I get phone calls once a week for free vacations to Florida. I dont answer them cause they are blocked phone #s, but that doesnt mean that they can leave a voice mail message that you have to retrieve and delete which cost money and aggrevation also!

[drjtech]

No, the main thrust of the hoax is that cell phone numbers are being given to telemarketers and that telemarketers will be allowed to call your cell phone at your expense. As the FTC site indicates that is and will continue to be illegal.

The dead giveaway is "PASS THIS ON TO ALL YOUR FRIENDS". That's a red flag to check snopes.com.

-drj

[Stormin Norman]

Your saying its a hoax but it is true and illegal? Wouldnt that be an oxymoron? elaborate.

[adam]

He didn't say it was true. Its a hoax. There is no deadline, there is currently no plan to ever let telemarketers have access to cell phone numbers.

Its not illegal for telemarketers to call cell phones, they simply don't have the phone numbers and cell companies cannot release those numbers without the permission of the customer. Sure they could do cold calls trying to hit cell numbers...and sometimes they do...but it rarely happens due to the nature of telemarketing. They've got to call like 300 people for every sell they make (I'm making these numbers up, their hit to miss ratio will depend on the product) so telemarketing isn't profitable unless you purchase a demographic list so that you only call those people who might actually be interested in your product.

Cobra, I've never heard of a cell service that only charges for outgoing calls. I receive calls from people dialing the wrong number all the time and it counts toward my minutes. Its just the price of having a cell phone.

[SquirrelDip]

"Unlimited Incoming Calls package" :

http://www.fido.ca/portal/promos/personal/expectmore_20050803/en/promotion.shtml

Don't know if any US companies are offering this...

[Noahtuck]

Cobra, I've never heard of a cell service that only charges for outgoing calls. I receive calls from people dialing the wrong number all the time and it counts toward my minutes. Its just the price of having a cell phone.

I know a lot of people here that have unlimited incoming calls (free) as long as i can remember... just pay for outgoing, and then at night and weekends outgoing and LD are free....

I guess it would depend on the service or package you buy but everyone i have known for years have had free incoming.