Cell phone #'s going public?

Got this e-mail, dont know if anybodys heard of it (I havent until today). Just registered mine 10 minutes ago, only takes about 30 seconds

Subject: FW: block calls from your cell

REMEMBER: Cell Phone Numbers Go Public next 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 TO ALL YOUR FRIENDS... It takes about 20 seconds.

 

You can also block your number from thier site https://www.donotcall.gov/register/reg.aspx and it will send you an verification email.

 

Also in 2007 they rewrote the law and if your number is registered on the do not call list it is now a lifetime block on it. This is from thier site:

"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. Read more about it at http://www.ftc.gov/opa/2008/04/dncfyi.shtm."

if you think you registered a phone number but are not sure you can go to https://www.donotcall.gov/confirm/conf.aspx and enter the number and an email address and they will send you an email letting you kow if your number has been done. YOu will get an email back like this:

"Your phone number with the last four digits 0926 was most recently registered in the National Do Not Call Registry on July 04, 2007. Most telemarketers will be required to stop calling you 31 days from your registration date.

Visit https://www.donotcall.gov to do any of these things:
-- to renew your registration
-- to file a complaint

Print this email and keep it for your records.

******************************************************************************************************************************

Please do not reply to this message as it is from an unattended mailbox. Any replies to this email will not be responded to or forwarded. This service is used for outgoing emails only and cannot respond to inquiries. "

This does not apply if you have an existing business relationship with the company, I also don't think it applies to charities if they get a hold of your number.

 

Thanks for the heads up , I just did my cell phone.

 

telus was warning canadians about a similar email, it was a fraud here, if you put your name on the list...they will call you. dunno about in the US tho. I never sign up for anything that comes in email unless I know the sender

 

DO NOT CALL that phone number. I don't know for certain that it's a scam, but it sure as hell looks like one.

If you want your cell phone on the do not call registry, go to the real one that Jester linked in his post.

Edit: Now I know it's a scam. See this article on Snopes.com

 

I had just seen that number listed (188-382-1222) on the donotcall.gov website, on theres faq page

 

Well what do you know... I just found that # on the official site, too. I guess it's not much of a scam.

 

I did mine on the web site, fast and smooth.

 

That's what she said.

 

Nah its not a scam, its a government phone #

 

yeah... I finally figured that out (see post #8). I guess I was aching for a momentary distraction from work and posted before I really looked into it.

 

you don't need to do anything. the registry is an "opt-in" service, in other words if you do not tell them they can list your cell, they won't. even if it did get in there law says it cannot be used by telemarketers.

what you do have to worry about is giving your number to a place that has "affiliated partners" and shares the number with them. they can claim you have existing business with them, even if you simply tell them no thanks. then the floodgates open.

i have a skype phone with two numbers. i give one of the numbers to places that might bug me night and day. it doesn't even ring at my end, they go straight to VM. I can check messages at my leisure and just block numbers I don't want to show up anymore.

 

Yeah, I guess I should have been more specific in the original post. This was an e-mail on a military e mail system (not my home) And, this is the first time I've heard of cell phones being public. I have heard of the dont call list for your home phone

 

my cell is my home phone

I use the opt out of the unsolicited credit card offers too
after a few of those recieved in the mail
you take a hit on the credit score.

1-888-5-OPTOUT
http://www.ftc.gov/bcp/edu/pubs/consumer/alerts/alt063.shtm

 

I thought you only took a credit score hit when your credit was actually pulled, as in fully applying for a loan. I though that these in the mail were more of offers to get a line of credit but not already open accounts. Kind of how you used to get a credit card offer in the mail with a credit card ready to go, jsut sign the back and acitvate it. Now they can send you a "sample" card but you could not go out an use it as it is not real.

 

90% do not count

 

I found this...idk what to believe

http://www.tulsaworld.com/news/article.aspx?subjectID=15&articleID=071016_1_A11_spanc74848