Wednesday, February 8, 2012

Clarifying Yesterday's Blog Post About "Do Not Call"

After yesterday's blog post about the "Do Not Call List" the Village heard from a number of residents who believed our information could possibly be a scam.  We would like to clarify that the information was sent to Village Officials from the U.S. Marshals Office in Madison.

After speaking to the U.S. Marshals Office we received confirmation that the information is legitimate.  According to the U.S. Marshals Office, you are able to sign up with no harm, no foul when registering your number.  The reason this email was prompted is that companies may be selling cell phone numbers to telemarketers.  The U.S. Marshals Office told us that they have registered their phones and indicated that the do not call website is legitimate (https://www.donotcall.gov/default.aspx).

The U.S. Marshals Office relayed this information to make sure that the public understands that they may themselves be charged for these calls. The number and website are sponsored by the Federal Trade Commission. Here is a link to FAQs regarding the program: http://www.ftc.gov/bcp/edu/pubs/consumer/alerts/alt107.shtm.

The U.S. Marshals Office tells us that an unknown is whether the numbers will be released or not. Very simply, the risk exists.  A number of different cell phone companies/providers are working to keep their customers numbers private.  At this point things haven't been finalized with that process so the Federal Trade Commission is trying to publicize this information as was shown in the blog post yesterday.

Important Note: Participation in the "do not call list" is completely optional.  The Village is neither encouraging nor discouraging participation.  We are simply forwarding information that residents may find useful.