The process of removing phone numbers from telemarketers’ lists is simple. First, a consumer connects to the special FTC website at www.donotcall.gov, where up to three phone numbers at a time can be entered, along with a functional email address. In addition to your home numbers, also include fax, cell phone, and pager numbers. Recently there has been a substantial increase in “junk” calls to those devices. There is a limit of 10 phone numbers that can be entered per email address. If you need to register more than 10 numbers, use a different email address. A confirming email with a link back to the FTC site will be sent to the consumer for each phone number entered. Clicking on the link within 72 hours of when it was sent will open a page confirming that the number is to be blocked for a period of five years. Failure to respond within the 72-hour period will void the request. The service is totally free, but the FTC has posted warnings on its website that some charlatans are offering to perform the service for a fee.

Starting this October, the “Do Not Call” list should reduce the number of telemarketing calls, but not totally eliminate them. According to the FTC, “Political organizations, charities, telephone surveyors, and the business of insurance, to the extent that it is regulated by state law, are permitted to call you. Organizations with which you have an established business relationship can call you for up to 18 months after your last purchase, payment or delivery. Companies to which you've made an inquiry or submitted an application can call you for three months. … Although callers soliciting charitable contributions do not have to search the national registry, a for-profit telemarketer calling on behalf of a charitable organization must honor your request to be on its do not call list.” Also, any company that can still call you must honor your request to be removed from its lists. Penalties for violations can reach $11,000 for each call. Several other new rules were also implemented for telemarketers.

The Texas “do not call” list will still be maintained at www.texasnocall.com. Texans who registered their phone numbers on the State list will not automatically have their numbers added to the FTC list, but must add their own numbers to the donotcall.gov list.

Since the FTC telemarketing call prohibition applies to for-profit charitable fundraising companies, smart consumers might find it interesting which national and local charities are run for the benefit of their clients, and which are run for the benefit of their fundraisers and executives. The Better Business Bureau has created a subsidiary website “BBB Wise Giving Alliance” at www.give.org. Clicking on the “Charity Reports” link on the left of the page will open an alphabetical directory of hundreds of national charities. While many comply with published ethical standards, there are also many that fail to comply. Some national charities use very little of the funds raised for the stated purpose, but instead pay huge salaries to their executives, and large commissions to their fundraisers. Some charities have also had a variety of civil and criminal charges filed against them, and these are included on the give.org listings. Also note that some poorly rated charities try to piggyback on the reputation of legitimate charities by using a slight variation or similar sounding name.

Some of these problems have shown up in a few local charities and community service organizations. The local BBB site at www.bbbsetexas.org has listings of local non-profit charitable and community service organizations, and while many are reputable, some well know organizations do not have a favorable listing with the local BBB. Several local charitable organizations have not responded to written requests from the local BBB requesting information on finances, governance, and programs.

Another smart site to check periodically is the Texas Comptroller’s Office unclaimed property website at www.window.state.tx.us/up. This site may prove to be financially profitable. Before class, one of my LIT students showed me a spam mail claiming that for a fee, the spammer would help her claim abandoned property, and the name given, as a reference was her deceased mother. A check of the comptroller’s website showed over $10,000 in cash and stocks available. My student filed a claim, and her claim is being processed by the state. There is no charge for this service from the state.

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