[WY-AU]

Chris,

You said you'd like to hear about other scams. Well, this isn't exactly a scam, but it could cost all of us cell phone owners money if we pay by the minute.

I received an e-mail which said in 31 days (no telling how many times it was forwarded and how long it took it to get to me since then but probably a short time), cell phone numbers will be released to telemarketing companies and you will start to receive their sales pitches on your cell phones. And guess who gets to pay for the minutes they use trying to sell you their junk?

Granted, most of us will hang up on them , but many cell phone companies charge at least a full minute for any portion of a minute used . If your cell phone number gets as many calls as I was getting on my home phone before I got on the governments "Do Not Call" list, it could cost you a bundle.

Anyway, you can call 1-888-382-1222 from your cell phone and get on the "Do Not Call" list for your cell phone number. Or alternatively, you can go to http://www.donotcall.gov and submit your cell phone numbers to the list. Your number will be blocked for 5 years.

Once I got on the list for my home phone, I didn't get any calls for over 6 months. I now get one every now and then, but mostly they are from non-profit agencies who are exempted from the requirement to comply. At any rate, if you do receive a call, and you wait until the company identifies itself and you write down the date, time, company name and the name of the caller, and report them, it will cost the company a lot of money and maybe they will begin to comply.

Bill

[Chris Gholson]

Hi Bill,

You just gotta love the telemarketers; especially the ones that call as late as 10-11PM! They wake the whole house up, drag me out of bed just to let me know I've been pre-approved for a credit card I didn't even apply for or want! They probably tick me off worse than the email junk mailers. The spam advertisments do a great job at clogging up the mailbox, but at least they are not chewing up expensive cell minutes. Then again, I am starting to develop a complex; apparently I am in dire need of both *FILTERED* & *FILTERED*!!! Plus my current mortgage rate sucks!

Great tip - thanks for sharing with us!

[Allen in MT]

Tried several times but couldn't add a cell phone number to the register, my cell provider told me they don't have a DNC list for cells yet, but did get thehome and business listed
Allen in MT

OK I just did it by e-mail and it went thru, don't know why it wouldn't take it from the cell phone or why my provider said it wasn't available,
now if they would just make a do not send list for the computer e-mails.

[Potholes Bob-NM]

Many thank's for this web site Info. Bill. I just registered my wife's and my cell phone number. We are charged for incoming as well as outgoing calls on our cell phone plan!

Cheers and Beers!
Potholes Bob