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Telemarketers Plan Counterattack

Posted by simoniker on from the saturation-by-other-delightful-means dept.

Chris Hoofnagle writes "CNN reports that companies who heavily use telemarketing are planning to counterattack consumers with a barrage of spam and junk mail in October, when the new do-not-call registry goes into effect. Slashdotters should be aware that, as well as anti-spam email software, there are tools to avoid junk snail-mail, such as Junkbusters' free Declare, Private Citizen's excellent service and the Postal Service's Prohibitory Order service, which is described at the EPIC privacy page."

5 of 587 comments (clear)

  1. Good thing about email by sahonen · · Score: 4, Insightful

    It's a lot harder to have a throw-away phone number than an email address. Thank you Hotmail!

    --
    Make me a friend and I'll mod you up
  2. STOP BUYING. by michaelhood · · Score: 4, Insightful

    Stop buying stuff from the companies that do this. Bottom line. Spam and telemarketing works because of idiots. No one will pay cold callers who can't sell 1 out of 1000 sales. Put an end to the insanity, slashdot.

    1. Re:STOP BUYING. by KillerHamster · · Score: 5, Insightful

      Spam and telemarketing works because of idiots.

      Idiots, yes, but I think a lot of their sales come from the elderly. When people's minds start to weaken with age or illness, they become easy targets for these scumbags. My grandparents were constantly being tricked into buying useless stuff over the phone before they went to the nursing home. I don't mind telemarketers calling me so much, I like messing with them sometimes, but it really infuriates me to see them prey on old people.

  3. What goes around, comes around by PingXao · · Score: 4, Insightful

    "We'll be giving the dog what the dog wants to eat," James F. Lyons, president of direct-marketing consultancy Optima Direct told the paper.

    I usually flush shit down the toilet, not feed it to my dog. What goes around, comes around. I predict there will be a backlash against the sleaziest of these direct marketing firms and the slime that hire them. I already refuse to deal with companies that make me play touch-tone tag on their badly designed voice systems.

  4. Re:National DNC overhyped by phritz · · Score: 4, Insightful
    Additionally, the conspiracy theorist in me thinks that this is the best idea that the government ever had for creating a database of names and numbers and email addresses.

    This is called the "White Pages." It's how you get in contact with people.

    ...FTC's as yet non-existent call center...

    It doesn't exist yet because the DNC list doesn't go into effect for 3 more months! It would be kind of silly to have a complaint center that receives complaints about things that aren't yet illegal.

    According to the National DNC website, "You must provide either the NAME or the PHONE NUMBER of the COMPANY that called you, as well as the DATE OF THE CALL and YOUR PHONE NUMBER

    Currently, under the telecommunications privacy act, you must pursue legal action against law-breaking telemarketers in small claims court, and with all of that information (and more!)