Protect Yourself from Telemarketing Fraud

How do you know if a telemarketing call is a scam?  That friendly voice on the phone may belong to an honest person who is just trying to make a sale or a crook who wants to trick you out of your money.
 
One tip-off is if the call violates your telemarketing rights.  Legitimate companies usually follow the rules, scammers don’t.  Is an unfamiliar company calling you even though your phone number is on the National Do Not Call Registry?  Is it a recorded sales pitch when you never gave the company written permission to make that type of “robocall” to you?  Is the company’s number blocked on your Caller ID? 
 
Other danger signs of telemarketing fraud include:

• Pressure to act immediately or you’ll lose this great opportunity
• Promises that you can make easy money working from home
• Offers to help you get a loan, fix your credit record, settle your debts, save your home from foreclosure or recover money you’ve already lost to a scan, if you pay a fee in advance
• Requests that you pay a fee or enter a sweepstake or lottery or send money for taxes, bonding, or legal expenses to claim your winners.  It’s also a danger sign if a prize is being offered as part of a sales pitch and the telemarketer doesn’t tell you that no purchase is necessary.

 
Another clue that it’s a scam is how you’re asked to pay.  Fraudsters usually want to get paid fast and in cash – they don’t want to wait for your check to clear or to have payments go through credit cards.  If a telemarketer has money transfer as the only method of payment it accepts, it’s probably a scam!
 
Crooks are also taking advantage of prepaid cell phones, internet phone service, Caller ID “spoofing” and other technologies to mask who and where they are.  That’s one more reason why its’s so important to recognize telemarketing fraud.  Money sent to scammers is often gone for good.  Learn more about how to protect yourself from telemarketing fraud and other scams at www.consumerfed.org/fraud.