Telemarketing Guide for Consumers and Telemarketers

Brace yourself. This will be a large chunk of text. But it is very important. Genuine telemarketers will find help on how to advance their businesses by doing the proper telemarketing. Consumers will find information on how to tell good telemarketing offers from fraud. This page has three sections:

• Checklist for telemarketers in USA, Canada, UK, Australia and India
• Checklist for consumers
• The most comprehensive Do Not Call List on the web. No more error pages or out of date info.

Cold Calling and Voice Broadcast Checklist For Businesses

Be sure you keep the time zone in mind. North America is a big piece of land and it is not a good idea to call somebody in New York 10am in the morning if you are based in California. If you run your voice broadcasting campaigns

If you are a telemarketer, to register for USA national do not call list, go to https://telemarketing.donotcall.gov/profile/create.aspx and fill in the form. Please note that to be regarded as a genuine telemarketer, you will also have to comply with separate State DNC lists. For example, to start a voice broadcasting campaign in Montana, you have to check your numbers against both National Do Not Call list and Montana State DNC list. For the full list of State specific organizations, scroll down to the table and click all states you need to obtain information for. The link will get you to a state do not call list or provide additional information.

To make your telemarketing campaign legal in the United Kingdom, you will have to apply for a Telephone Preference Service at http://corporate.mpsonline.org.uk/CTPSC/html/application.asp

If your target market is Australia, you will have to check your database of telephone numbers against Australian DNC list. To do so, you have to go to https://www.donotcall.gov.au/dncrtelem/newregistration.cfm and apply for an account.

Telemarketing companies in Canada need to register here https://www.lnnte-dncl.gc.ca/ind/insorg-regorg-eng

For India, go to http://ndncregistry.gov.in/ndncregistry/index.jsp This address contains information for telemarketing companies, consumers and telecom providers.

Telemarketers have to remember that better results are achieved with marketing campaigns involving a database of leads, existing customers or contacts obtained via trade shows, polls and other means. If you however decide to embark on cold calling and unsolicited voice broadcasts, make sure your campaign is squeaky clean, never call anyone listed with National or State do not call lists and never call a customer who has expressed a wish to be included in your company's do not call list. If you follow the rules and your offer is genuine, telemarketing can be very profitable. On the other hand, shady practices in most occasions end with a hefty fine.

Telemarketing Fraud Prevention Checklist for Customers

It is estimated that in USA alone telemarketing fraud accounts for more than $100 million in losses. And that is only the visible part of the iceberg because the best part of the telemarketing fraud remains unreported and unnoticed.

Voice-Broadcast Com is proud to present a checklist for customers to help them avoid being swindled into illegal schemes and prevent losing money.

The simplest way to avoid cold calls and automated voice broadcasts is to sign up for the federal and local Do Not Call lists. If you do, you will still receive voice broadcasts from charities and political organizations. Nothing doing – they can legally do so if they wish. However, if you keep receiving telemarketing calls 30 days after you have signed for the Do Not Call list you must report the company that called you by filing an official complaint. Refer to the table below to find out how. The easiest way for many States is to contact the office of your Attorney General.

To add your number to United States Do Not Call list, go to https://www.donotcall.gov/register/reg.aspx and fill in the form. It is free and permanent, i.e. you will not need to renew your subscription; your number will stay on the list forever unless you cancel it. To check if your State has a separate do not call list, check the table and visit the appropriate link for instructions on how to apply.

If you are from United Kingdom, you will want to add your number to the Telephone Preference Service. To start the application, go to http://www.tpsonline.org.uk/ctps/number_type.html or if you are already bugged by illegal voice broadcasts or cold calls, go to http://complaints.tpsonline.org.uk/Consumer/ to file a complaint.

If you live in Australia, for the Do Not Call list go to https://www.donotcall.gov.au/regNumber.cfm and fill in the form. If you have already added your number to Australian Do Not Call list and still get cold calling phone calls, go to https://www.donotcall.gov.au/complaint1.cfm and file a complaint.

In Canada go to https://www.lnnte-dncl.gc.ca/insnum-regnum-eng and register your number.

Unfortunately you cannot register online for India Do Not Call list at the moment. Contact your telecom operator and he is required to sign you up. If you keep receiving unsolicited telemarketing calls 45 days after you registered, again contact your telecom provider and file a complaint. Ask for a reference number and keep the number for your own records.

So, how to tell illegal telemarketing call from a genuine one?

• Be alert if a telemarketer calls you before 8 AM or after 9 PM. This is a sure sign that he calls from another state or country. Don't engage in any conversation, ask to be placed on his do not call list and kill the conversation.
• Be alert if telemarketers don't disclose their identity and purpose of call. Treat any call like a face to face conversation. If you met a person and he would refuse to state his name, would you buy something from him?
• If the call seems genuine and you really want to purchase something from a telemarketer, ask for the refund and cancellation policy. Will you be able to return the goods if you are not happy with them? If he has the refund policy in place, that's a good sign, yet, don't close the deal over the phone. Read the next bit:
• Don't buy products or services using a credit card (or debit card or by direct debit) over the phone unless you have been in business with the telemarketer before. If you like the product, ask if you can order it online or via direct mail catalogue. If the answer is no, kill the conversation.
• Never under any circumstances (even if you think you know the company or even if the telemarketer seems to be a nice guy) give away following details: your address, your cell phone number, your bank account number, social security number, driver's licence number. If the telemarketer wants your details, you are heading for an identity theft scam. Hang up the phone.
• Under no circumstances involve in any lottery or sweepstakes! Never! Even if the person calling you says he represents charity. You will be surprised how much money people actually lose through fake lotteries. If you are interested in challenging your fortune, visit your news agent or convenience store and buy a state lottery ticket. There is no such thing as free cheese! If you are asked for money upfront to take part in a lottery (even if he says the prize is guaranteed) it is a scam! The usual method is saying that you have been selected for a prize but in order to receive a prize you need to pay postage or buy a product from them. It is a scam!
• There is no such thing as a time sensitive offer. It is just pure marketing fluff. If you are put under pressure and told that you need to make a decision now, hang up the phone.
• If you really like the offer and would like to consent, give yourself more time. Ask and write down the telemarketer's name, company name, website address and the phone number you could use to get back. If he cannot give you ALL four details, hang up. Here's why: if he doesn't want to disclose his name, he has something to be afraid of, if he cannot give away the company name, he's probably operating from another country, if there is no website, it is not a genuine company - nowadays it is extremely cheap and absolutely essential for any company to have a website, if he doesn't want you to call back, his number probably is blacklisted. Now, collect all four: name, company, website, telephone number and say you would like to think about the offer. Check if the company is listed in Yellow Pages, explore their website. Google for his phone number - it is likely that other people have engaged in business with the particular company before. If tomorrow you still think it is a great offer, call back and make a deal.
• If you are told the caller represents a government agency, again follow the rule of four: name, company, website, phone number. If he refuses to reveal this simple information, kill the conversation.
• Many hard-core telemarketing scammers try to scare their customers. You may be told that your family member is involved in an accident, is in hospital, has committed crime etc. and you can help him by paying a certain amount of money. Sounds like a scam? Sure it does, yet many hundreds of people fall for it every month in USA.
• The best suggestion is to use common sense.

USA State Do Not Call Lists.

This comprehensive table contains links to State Do Not Call lists and laws. Where you see NDNC, it indicates that the particular state uses National Do Not Call list to protect its citizens. Where "State List" is indicated, telemarketers have to register to obtain that list too.

State Do Not Call	Phone Number	List	Additional Comments
Alabama	888-382-1222
Alaska			Mind the black dot in Yellow Pages.
Arizona	602-542-5763
Arkansas	800-482-8982
California			complaints handled by FTC
Colorado	800-309-7041	State List	explore FAQ on the same page
Connecticut	888-382-1222
Delaware	800-220-5424
Florida, link2	800-435-7352	State List
Georgia	800-282-5813
Hawaii	888-382-1222
Idaho	800-432-3545
Illinois	800-386-5438
Indiana	800-382-5516	State List
Iowa	888-777-4590
Kansas	800-432-2310
Kentucky	502-696-5300		Telemarketers, explore the links!
Louisiana, link2	877-676-0773	State List	Telemarketers, click the 2nd link!
Massachusetts, L2	617-973-8700	State List
Maryland	800-207-4055
Maine	888-382-1222
Michigan	888-382-1222		complaints handled by FTC
Minnesota	888-382-1222		complaints handled by FTC
Missouri	866-662-2551	State List
Mississippi	601-961-5440	State List	Telemarketers, explore the links on the left navigation bar!
Montana	800-481-6896	State List	Pre-recorded calls strictly banned, Please explore the link!
Nebraska	402-471-2682
Nevada	702-486-3420		complaints handled by FTC
New Hampshire	888-382-1222
New Jersey	as above
New Mexico			Attorney General's website down. Check back for more info.
New York	800-697-1220		Explore the links on the left.
North Carolina	888-382-1222
North Dakota	as above
Ohio	800-686-7826		Extra complaints can be filed with Ohio Government.
Oklahoma	800-390-5708	State List
Oregon	888-382-1222
Pennsylvania	888-777-3406	State List	Telemarketers, please familiarize yourself with the brochures.
Rhode Island	888-382-1222
South Carolina	as above
South Dakota	800-332-1782
Tennessee	800-342-8385	State List
Texas	866-896-6225	State List	Telemarketers, explore the link, you might need to register.
Utah	801-530-6601	-	State list inactive, use
Vermont	888-382-1222
Virginia	800-552-9963
Washington	888-382-1222
West Virginia	as above
Wisconsin		State List	Read consumer or telemarketer faq, whichever applies.
Wyoming	307-777-7874

U.S. State List: Alabama - AL, Alaska - AK, Arizona - AZ, Arkansas - AR, California - CA, Colorado - CO, Connecticut - CT, Delaware - DE, Florida - FL, Georgia - GA, Hawaii - HI, Idaho - ID, Illinois - IL, Indiana - IN, Iowa - IA, Kansas - KS, Kentucky - KY, Louisiana - LA, Maine - ME, Maryland - MD, Massachusetts - MA, Michigan - MI, Minnesota - MN, Mississippi - MS, Missouri - MO, Montana - MT, Nebraska - NE, Nevada - NV, New Hampshire - NH, New Jersey - NJ, New Mexico - NM, New York - NY, North Carolina - NC, North Dakota - ND, Ohio - OH, Oklahoma - OK, Oregon - OR, Pennsylvania - PA, Rhode Island - RI, South Carolina - SC, South Dakota - SD, Tennessee - TN, Texas - TX, Utah - UT, Vermont - VT, Virginia - VA, Washington - WA, West Virginia - WV, Wisconsin - WI, Wyoming - WY.