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• Telemarketing Fraud

Telemarketing Fraud

More and more Americans, especially the elderly, are falling victim to a faceless criminal. Each day thousands of consumers are targeted by illegal telemarketing schemes. We are finding that the elderly are a favorite target of these thieves.

The U.S. Department of Justice has published statistics that estimate that one out of six consumers are cheated in a telemarketing scam each year. Telemarketing crime is estimated to cost American consumers over $40 billion dollars annually.

The sales pitches that these individuals are using are very sophisticated. Their targets are generally elderly people who are usually upper middle class, well educated, and active in their communities. These scams include: illegal sweepstakes, non-existent or crooked charities, and phony prizes. There is even a scam called a "recovery room" where a telemarketer will re-contact a victim to offer to help recover the money that they lost, for a fee.

To help you avoid becoming the victim of one of these crooks, here are some Do’s and Don’ts:

Do:

• Ask the telemarketer for his/her company’s name, address, and phone number. Make sure that they explain slowly, and clearly what their offer is.
• Before making a donation, or making a commitment to send money, contact the State Attorney General Consumer Protection Division at 1-800-727-6432.
• Make sure you understand what the company refund polices are.
• Ask the caller to mail you written documentation for you to study before making a commitment.
• If you don’t want to be bothered by telephone calls from telemarketers, tell the caller to remove your phone number from telemarketing lists. If the phone calls persist, contact the police department. It is illegal to call a person after they have asked to be removed from a list.
• If you think a telemarketing call is suspicious, make a report to the State Attorney General Consumer hotline (phone number provided above). You may also contact the Columbus Police Department to find out if there have been other reports of this nature in the area. Finally, you may contact the Federal Trade Commission for a consumer complaint form by calling 1-877-FTC-HELP, or on-line at: Federal Trade Commission

Don't:

• Never pay for a prize or send any money to improve your chances of winning.
• Don't be intimidated. These people do this for a living, and they are very good at what they do. They almost always insist that you buy whatever it is they are selling, "right now." If they insist that the offer is only good while you are on the phone, it is phony.
• Never provide your credit card number or bank account number. Legitimate companies will understand why you will not provide this information over the phone. Never wire money or send money to a company using an overnight service.

Video

Let's Say Goodbye to Phone Fraud

Credits: This site features videos from the Federal Trade Commission . We would like to thank them for being such a strong supporter of consumers.