Keep Telemarketers Out of Your Business

July 14, 2007 — -- Home-based businesses wouldn't be viable if it weren't for a little invention called the telephone. So as you gear up to work from home, the last thing you need is telemarketers calling and clogging up those vital phone lines. Fortunately, there are now multiple ways to hang up on telemarketers. To freeze out cold calls, use a multilayered approach.

The Federal Trade Commission launched the National Do Not Call Registry in July 2003. You can register by going to www.donotcall.gov. You can also call (888) 382-1222. Make sure you call from the number you wish to register (home or cell phone). It takes a couple of months for your request to kick in, but then it lasts for five years. The National Do Not Call Registry does not eliminate calls from politicians (go figure!), people conducting opinion polls or companies that you already have a business relationship with. But there's a way to stop those calls too!

Many people make the mistake of shrieking "take me off your list," when a telemarketer interrupts their work day or their dinner. WRONG! That request has no legal teeth. Instead, ask to be put ON the list. The telemarketers' own do-not-call list. Telemarketers are required to keep and honor a list of people who do not wish to be contacted. If they call you again after you have made this request, you can sue them and collect compensation. The company could also face government fines of $10,000 or more. Keep in mind, many big companies have multiple divisions that operate as separate businesses with separate internal do-not-call lists. For example, if you tell the life insurance company not to call you anymore, you may still receive cold calls from the investment division. Tell each one to put you on its do-not-call list.

If after doing all this, you still receive obnoxious telephone come-ons, chances are the callers are crooks. Telemarketing fraud is devastating. Some people lose their life savings. The most common fraudulent phone pitches are: prizes that cost money, cheesy travel packages, untested health care products, illegal investments, and fake charities.