How do I protect myself?

The Federal Do Not Call Registry now covers the State of New York. Register your phone number on the Do Not Call website. You will also find a link for more information on that website. Once a phone number is registered, telemarketers have up to 31 days to stop calling you. The registration is good for fiver years. You can register up to three phone numbers per household.

  • Don't Be Pressured: Insist on getting all information in writing before you agree to buy. Then make sure the information confirms everything you were told by phone.
  • Be Careful About Disclosing Your Personal Financial Information: Don't give your credit card number over the phone unless you know the company is reputable. An easy way for a scam operator to close a deal is to get your credit card number and then charge your account. The same applies to bank account numbers and other personal information.
  • If You Do Not Receive the Goods You Were Charged For: if, for some reason, you do provide your credit card information to a scam artist and you see the charge appear on your credit card bill, call your card company immediately and provide them with all of the information regarding your conversation with the "company". The credit card company will enter a dispute with the false company and remove the charge from your bill. Their fraud department can only act when they have a decent amount of information, so be prepared to explain exactly what transpired during the phone call leading up to these charges.
  • How Do I Report Deceptive Telephone Solicitations? You can call the New York State Attorney General's Consumer Hotline at 800-771-7755. You can also contact the Better Business Bureau.
  • Delete Suspicious Emails Without Opening Them: if the subject of the email makes no sense, delete it. If the sender's address is not familiar to you, delete it. If they are offering something that seems too good to be true, it probably is, so delete the email. If it is from an institution that you regularly do business with and you suspect it is a fraudulent email, call them (using a legitimate number) and ask for the email address of their fraud department and then forward the email

Show All Answers

1. What is telemarketing/email fraud?
2. What should I look for?
3. How do I protect myself?