You’ve won a free prize or trip, all you need to do is take care of “postage and handling,” or other miscellaneous charges

How to avoid a telemarketing scam
Do not buy from an unfamiliar company – If you are unfamiliar with company or organization, ask that they send you information about products or services it offers. The Attorney General’s Office and Better Business Bureau are great resources to check a company’s licensing and consumer complaint record.

Do not be pressured into a decision – Even if offer being presented to you has a time limit, don’t give in to high-pressure tactic unless you are comfortable with company and offer. If you accept an offer because it is a “One time deal” or your “Last chance,” you are most likely to be left holding a bill.

Do not give out your credit card, social security number, checking account number or other personal information to unfamiliar companies. You would be surprised how little information scam artists need to make unauthorized charges or alter your financial identity.

Do put your name on “do not call” list to prevent a telemarketer from calling you again. Go to this link http://www.donotcall.gov/ to add your number to National do not call list.

Do keep a list of a company’s name and date you requested to be put on its “do not call” list. Keep a list of those names and report telemarketers that continue to call you.

Do exercise your right to end a conversation with an individual representing an unfamiliar company or using pushy tactics to sell you a service or product.

Who to call for help:
If an offer sounds suspicious, or if you have been victimized by a fraudulent telemarketer, there are resources available to help you.

National Fraud Information Center 1-800-876-7060 (toll free)

Federal Communications Commission 1-888-225-5322 (toll free)

Federal Trade Commission 1-877-382-4357 (toll free)

Keep an eye on your telephone bills to see if your carrier changes or if charges for your long distance calls increase significantly. The FCC requires carrier charges to be “clearly and conspicuously” indicated on all telephone bills.

Call your local telephone company and request a “carrier freeze.” Currently, your local company will switch you whenever a request is made by a long distance carrier. A call to your local telephone company is currently only way to block a switch without your direct consent.

If you have been slammed
Call your local telephone company immediately and notify them that you did not authorize switching of your long distance service, ask them to switch you back to your original carrier. You are not required to pay any fees associated with switching back to your original long distance telephone company. Also call your long distance company and make them aware of slamming. Ask company to make sure your account is in order and that you will not be penalized with charges resulting from slamming.

The FCC issued new slamming rules effective November 28, 2000. Once a slamming complaint has been verified by FCC, consumers are guaranteed compensation.

Consumers who have been slammed and have not paid unauthorized carrier, will not be responsible to pay for service for up to 30 days after slam occurred.

Consumers who have been slammed and have paid unauthorized carrier will receive a 50 percent reimbursement of all paid charges. The rules require unauthorized carrier to pay 150 percent of all charges to your authorized carrier, which in turn is responsible for reimbursing you 50 percent of those same charges.

To report an unauthorized carrier, or if you think you’ve been slammed, you can call:
Attorney General: 1-800-282-0515 (toll free)
FCC: 1-888-225-5322 (toll free)