Telemarketers Held Accountable ... In Theory

str83dge writes "The House of Representatives just passed H.R. 90 which amends the Telecommunications Act to prohibit telemarketers from circumventing caller ID. People can file suit against the telemarketers for minimum damages of $500. Privacy.org has a story here. Question: if they circumvent caller ID, won't it be difficult for the average person to determine who actually is calling them? Let's just hope they take this a step further and apply it to spammers. :)"

Comments

That's too bad

[jodonn]

Currently, whenever a telemarketer calls me, the caller ID reads "Unavailable." So I don't pick up the phone. It's very handy.

If they started displaying real phone numbers, they'd be tricking me into thinking that someone I want to talk to is calling and I'd answer.

Re:That's too bad

[Michael_Jarvis]

Currently, whenever a telemarketer calls me, the caller ID reads "Unavailable." So I don't pick up the phone. It's very handy.

A lot of times when a telemarketer calls my home, the caller ID box reads "No Data Sent". Maybe that will stop if this law passes.

What I wish is that there would be a law that requires them to reveal where they got your phone number. I have an unlisted phone number, yet I still get telemarketers calling.

Re:That's too bad

[Kris_J]

Your phone number is only a string of numbers. They don't look it up, they just generate it. I'll bet that secret service numbers get called by telespamarketers all the time.

Re:That's too bad

[Dr.Dubious DDQ]

If they started displaying real phone numbers...

They'll probably do what I've already seen at least one of them do. I'm not sure how they manage it, but for I while I had one telemarketing company sending a bogus phone# to my caller ID box. (I.e. I tried calling the number back and got the 'there is no such number' sort of message...)

I typically have been forced to resort to not bothering to pick up the phone if I don't recognize the phone#, let alone if it says 'unavailable'...

Re:Anyone filed?

[Masem]

It's a little early to be suing under this rule. It's only been passed by the House; the Senate needs to pass the same, then they need to resolve any differences, then they need the Prez' signature to get it into law.

At least, as a good thing, I would figure this would easily pass a Democrate Senate, and already has the blessing of the Republican House (which I would think would be more friendly to telemarkers than the Senate).

Re:No problem if they circumvent Caller ID

[LordNimon]

The problem is that the person calling you generally doesn't work for the company making the product/service they want to sell. They usually work for a telemarketing company.

Re:No problem if they circumvent Caller ID

[GTRacer]

True dat!

I used to have a FirstUSA credit card and they sold our name to a list. Funny thing was, they had my wife's name on the card INORRECTLY, and as she was the primary, the telemarketing weasels would call asking for her by the wrong name - dead giveaway.

To make things more fun, they'd swear they WERE FirstUSA and all they needed was our address. Su-u-u-ure you're at FirstUSA Corporate...where do you think the bills get sent? Anyhoo, I cancelled FirstUSA and told a supervisor I didn't appreciate the telemarketers, the lies, and the fraudulent charges for "services" we never agreed to.

God Bless America!

GTRacer
- "If I could have just a few moments of your time..."

Re:Any way of finding out who is calling?

[camusflage]

Has anyone else had any success?

Sure thing. I've sued and won before. Last time was when AT&T called me three times in four days. Best way to do it is to play along until they give you enough to identify them. Even if it's a contracted company doing the company, it's the company they're calling on behalf of that is responsible.

Residential ANI

[Happy go Lucky]

The 800/888 numbers have a feature called Automatic Number Identification, which gives the number from which a call originated. And ANI is basically unblockable. The telcos have realized that toll-free operators, who pay for incoming calls, should be able to know who's calling.

And I'd give my left nut to be able to get that on regular residential service:
"Hi, I'm from the Fernwood Chicken Shack and Long-Distance Telephone Service, and I'd like to..."
"You'd like me to immediately place me on your do-not-call list and.." *CLICK*

But with ANI, I have the callback number. I can finish the do-not-call demand, and if they disregard it, then I know where to send the process server.

I think that's why Qwest isn't offering it. They make too much money from their telescammers.

We're better off the old way

[dcavanaugh]

"Number Unavailable" on the caller ID is as good as a blacklist -- actually better. The last thing I would want is for the teletrash calls to blend in with the legitimate ones.

I rigged up my CID-friendly modem to ATA immediately on "Number Unavailable", and ignore everything else. Whenever I hear a second ring, I know the modem is letting the call go through. It's great fun to hear one ring and then -- nothing!

Best of all is a statewide DNC list. Here in Connecticut, it has hit the Teleban like a "bunker buster". So much so that my CID trick is now shelfware. A mandatory national DNC list with whopper fines would solve the problem instantly.