Robocalls and Telemarketing

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Take Action Against Spam Calls and Texts

How to Fight Spam Calls

  • Register your number on the National Do Not Call Registry or confirm that your number is on the Registry.
    • You also can register by dialing (888) 382-1222, TTY: (866) 290-4236.
    • The Registry is a list that tells telemarketers what numbers not to call.
    • Keep in mind that being on the registry can’t block unwanted calls or stop scammers who ignore it!
  • If you get an illegal robocall, do not press any numbers or respond to any questions. This could lead to even more calls. Instead, hang up and file a consumer complaint with the Arizona Attorney General’s Office.
    • When you file a complaint, report the number on your caller ID — even if you think the number might be fake (aka spoofed) — and any number you’re told to call back.
    • Give as much information as you can, including the date and time of the call.
    • This information helps law enforcement to identify and track down scammers.
  • Pass this information on to a friend. You may know what to do about unwanted calls, but chances are you know someone who doesn’t.

How to Fight Spam Texts

  • If you get a text message that you were not expecting and it asks you to give personal information, don’t click on any links. Clicking links could expose you to scams, download malware, or get your phone number added to lists that are then sold to other scammers.
  • Legitimate companies won’t ask for your account information by text. If you think the message might be real, contact the company directly. Do not use the phone number provided in the text message.
  • Report the spam text.
  • Report texting scam attempts to your wireless service provider by forwarding unwanted texts to 7726 (or “SPAM”). Then delete the message. 
  • Read commercial web forms and check for a privacy policy when submitting your mobile phone number to any customer website. You should be able to opt out of receiving texts – but you may have to check or uncheck a pre-selected box.
  • Do not respond to unwanted texts from questionable sources.
  • Report it to the Arizona Attorney General’s Office.

 

    Work-From-Home Opportunities and AZ Law

    Ready to work from home, be your own boss, and make a great income? That’s what some scammers promise people when selling work-from-home businesses, also known as “business opportunities.” These schemes all have one thing in common: something must be purchased before work can begin. In most cases the purchaser is out thousands of dollars and left with a “business” that generates no profits.

    Red flags

    Very few people ever earn any income from the businesses for which they paid thousands of dollars. If you are considering a work-from-home opportunity, watch for these common red flags:

    • The opportunity comes from a telemarketer, email, or website
    • Promising a money-back guarantee but not stating the short time limits of the guarantee
    • Asking for money to pay for a background check, starter-kit, software, membership, training, or “discounted” merchandise
    • Asking you to move or accept money on behalf of the “employer” or someone else
    • Promising high pay for little work
    • Not requiring or recommending any experience or skills
    • Promising you will earn a lot of money fast
    • Extremely short or no interview
    • Seeking credit card or financial/account information as a pre-condition for an interview or employment

    Protect yourself

    Don’t pay money for a job opportunity. If a work-from-home or internet-based business demands that you pay money upfront in order to make money in the future, it is most likely a scam. Remember: in a legitimate job, the business pays you. In a job scam, you pay the business.

    Try entering the company’s name with the words “complaint,” “reviews,” or “scam” into a search engine. Read what others have to say. But remember: just because there aren’t complaints doesn’t mean the company is legitimate. Dishonest companies often change their names, post fake reviews, or move to avoid detection.

    Arizona law provides special protections against work-from-home scams

    Sellers of business opportunities are required to provide you a written statement that contains specific, written disclosures. This includes detailed information about what you are purchasing and any recurring fees you will or may be asked to pay. In addition, business opportunity sellers must maintain a $100,000 bond with the State Treasurer. This bond money can be used to refund consumers who are defrauded by the seller. You can see if a business opportunity has a bond on file by contacting the State Treasurer’s Office at (602) 542-7800. However, keep in mind that even if a business opportunity has a bond on file, if it’s a scam, you might be able to only recover a portion of what you paid. Don’t pay money for a business opportunity.

    Think carefully before signing a contract. Your agreement online may count as an electronic signature and bind you to the contract. If you make a purchase and later change your mind, you may cancel a business opportunity contract for any reason at any time within 10 business days after the contract is signed. You must do this in writing to have proof of cancellation! Do not allow sellers to string you along past the cancellation period.

    Cancelling your order with a telemarketer

    Certain telemarketers, including sellers of work-from-home opportunities, are required to file a registration statement and other paperwork with the Arizona Secretary of State. Contact the Secretary of State at 602-542-6187 and ask if the company is registered. Under Arizona law, you can cancel a sale by an unregistered seller at any time.

    Telemarketing companies must tell you both verbally and in writing that you have the right to cancel your order within three days after receiving the merchandise. If you are not told verbally and in writing about the three-day cancellation period, then you may cancel at any time.

    If you wish to cancel your order with a telemarketing company do the following:

    • Cancel your order in writing within three days of placing your order (or, within three days of receiving the merchandise, although earlier is better)
    • Keep a copy of your letter to the telemarketing company
    • If the business does not issue a refund immediately, contact your credit card company or bank to dispute the charges. Provide them with a copy of your cancellation letter. It is important to contact your credit card company as soon as you realize there is a problem, as they will issue a credit only for a limited time.

    Unscrupulous Telemarketer Tactics

    Tactics commonly used by unscrupulous telemarketers:

    • Using a fake caller identification number that appears to be local, a personal call or from a business that you recognize, and doesn’t work if you try to call back.
       
    • A high-pressure sales approach, urging you to "act now" or the offer won't be available later.
       
    • Falsely informing you that the marketer is a veteran, disabled, born-again Christian or has some other trait to convince you he or she is trustworthy.
       
    • Offering you something that sounds too good to be true, such as a "no-risk investment" or the opportunity to make lots of income from home, with little effort on your part.
       
    • Pretending to be licensed, certified, working for your credit card company or working for the government.
       
    • Asking for your credit card or checking account numbers or other personal financial information, to verify your “eligibility” or check your available credit, before you have agreed to make a purchase, and then charging you without your agreement.
       
    • Asking you to send money right away, through a wire service or overnight delivery. Fraudulent telemarketers will sometimes offer to pick up the money and the signed contract from your home.

    Robocalls or Precorded Messages (Including Political Robocalls)

    Are robocalls illegal?

    • If you answer the phone and hear a recorded message instead of a live person, it's a robocall. If you’re getting a lot of robocalls trying to sell you something, odds are the calls are illegal. Many are also probably scams.
       
    • A robocall trying to sell you something is illegal unless a company has your written permission to call you that way.
       
    • All prerecorded calls must identify the caller at the beginning of the message and include a contact phone number.

    Why do I get so many robocalls?

    • It’s cheap and easy for scammers and telemarketers to make robocalls over the internet from anywhere in the world.

    How can I know if a robocall is a scam?

    • If someone already is breaking the law by robocalling you without permission, there’s a good chance the call is a scam. At the very least, it’s a company you don’t want to do business with.
       
    • Don’t rely on your caller ID. Scammers can fake the name and number that shows up, making it look like a call is from a government agency like the Social Security Administration or a local number.

    What about political calls and texts?

    • Restrictions on political campaign-related robocalls or robotexts vary based upon whether a call is delivered to a landline telephone or a cell phone.
       
    • Political campaign-related autodialed or prerecorded voice calls, including autodialed live calls, prerecorded voice messages, and text messages, are:
       
      • Not allowed to cell phones without prior express consent. However, political text messages can be sent without prior consent if the sender does not use autodialing technology to send the text.
         
      • Allowed when made to landlines, even without prior express consent.

    Why sign up for the do-not-call registry if illegal callers will ignore it?

    • Having your number on the registry helps the Attorney General’s Office fight against illegal telemarketing. When investigating illegal telemarketing campaigns, the Attorney General’s Office frequently performs analyses of numbers called and can penalize the violator up to $1,000 for each call to a number that is on the list.

      You can register your home or cellphone number either online at www.donotcall.gov or using the FTC’s toll number at (888) 382-1222, TTY: (866) 290-4236. You must call from the number you wish to register. Registration is free and never expires.

    Do Not Call

    The Federal Trade Commission (FTC) created the Do Not Call Registry to stop unwanted telemarketing calls. You can register your home or cellphone number either online at www.donotcall.gov or using the FTC’s toll number at (888) 382-1222, TTY: (866) 290-4236. You must call from the number you wish to register. Registration is free and never expires. 

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