| In weighing the costs of phone sales, | | | | telemarketing fraud scheme generally begins when |
| telemarketers and telemarketing industry groups | | | | you receive a postcard or letter in the mail |
| do not consider the costs that are imposed on | | | | detailing an appealing offer. Some criminals use |
| telephone subscribers, such as the expense | | | | telemarketing techniques to get information for |
| incurred from lost time, the monthly cost of caller | | | | theft purposes. One of the most common types |
| ID or privacy manager services, the purchase of | | | | of fraud involves telemarketing schemes that |
| answering machines to screen calls, and the | | | | misrepresent the value, the terms of sale, or the |
| monthly cost of maintaining an unlisted phone | | | | use of the goods or services being sold. Most |
| number. | | | | telemarketing firms use a tactic called predictive |
| Chances are, your bank or credit card company | | | | dialing so as not to waste the telemarketers |
| either sells your personal information to | | | | valuable time while waiting for you to pick up. |
| telemarketers or operates a telemarketing | | | | Consumers experience telemarketing from a |
| business with your personal information through | | | | completely different point of view: more than |
| an affiliate. Thousands of telemarketing sales calls | | | | 92% perceive commercial telephone calls as a |
| are made to defraud consumers. In 1999, | | | | violation of privacy. Registering your telephone |
| Minnesota Attorney General Mike Hatch brought | | | | number on the Do Not Call Register will not stop |
| suit against US Bancorp for selling customer | | | | all telemarketing calls to your number. Privacy |
| account information to Member Works, a | | | | advocates argue that outbound telemarketing |
| telemarketing company. | | | | invades the sanctity of an individuals home and |
| However, it is sometimes difficult to identify | | | | should be limited. |
| telemarketing scams from legitimate offers. A | | | | |