Tech Talk with Jeff - Do Not Call
We all receive way too many phone calls.
A lot are sales calls, scams, robocalls, and other types that we don’t want. It is disruptive and is why a lot of people don’t answer their phones anymore. One of the ways to reduce the number of calls received is to take advantage of the National Do Not Call List that our government provides to us. Does it help? Yes. Does it stop everything you don’t want? No.
Here are the basics. To put yourself on this list, register here National Do Not Call Registry or call 888.382.1222. This is a good site to look at for what the registry does for you and how to report an unwanted call. What this tool does not do for you is block political calls, charity calls, surveys, and debt collectors. It also won’t stop sales calls from companies that you have done business with.
The other types of sales calls you may receive are from companies that are not following the laws that are in place. They call anyway, regardless of the laws, to try and get you to buy something from them. These are definitely the types of calls you can report through the link provided above.
When you receive an unwanted call, and you realize it is one you don’t want, just hang up. Don’t worry about being polite, you are protecting yourself. Some of these calls are scams that will try to hook you or will use anything you say against you, like recording you answering “yes” to any question. They use this yes as proof that you agreed to their product/service even though that is not what you said yes to. So literally, don’t say a word or press anything on the phone. Just hang up.
Be aware that some scammers will try to sell you the service of signing up for the do not call list. Signing up is free and you can very easily do it yourself. The service is not instantaneous though. It can take up to a month or so to take effect. One thing to note, the registry is only for personal phone numbers.
Do what you can to protect yourself. This is one tool that will help.
Be aware and be safe!
