*Pages 1--2 from  Microsoft Word - 20410.doc*
 NEWS  Federal  Communications  Commission  445  12  th  Street,  S.  W.  Washington,  D.  C.  20554  This  is  an  unofficial  announcement  of  Commission  action.  Release  of  the  full  text  of  a  Commission  order  constitutes  official  action.  See  MCI  v.  FCC.  515  F  2d  385  (D.  C.  Circ  1974).  News  Media  Information  202  /  418-  0500  Internet:  http://  www.  fcc.  gov  TTY:  1-  888-  835-  5322 
 For  immediate  release:  News  Media  Contact:  August  5,  2002  Rosemary  Kimball  at  (202)  418-  0511 
 E-  mail:  rkimball@  fcc.  gov 
 FCC  ANNOUNCES  NATIONAL  FRAUD  AWARENESS  WEEK  ACTIVITIES 
 Washington,  DC  –  The  Federal  Communications  Commission  is  recognizing  National  Fraud  Awareness  Week  (August  4  th  –  10  th  )  by  highlighting  five  topics  on  which 
 it  receives  many  inquiries  and  complaints  from  consumers.  One  topic  will  be  addressed  each  day.  Not  all  are  frauds  or  scams,  but  all  are  issues  about  which  consumers  should 
 be  informed. 
 K.  Dane  Snowden,  Chief  of  the  FCC  Consumer  &  Governmental  Affairs  Bureau,  kicked  off  the  FCC’s  awareness  activities  by  noting,  “Chairman  Powell  has 
 often  said  that  everything  we  do  at  the  FCC  is  about  consumers.  One  of  the  most  crucial  things  we  do  is  inform  consumers  about  telecom  products  and  services  to  help 
 them  make  educated  choices  and  avoid  unpleasant  surprises.  National  Fraud  Awareness  Week  is  an  excellent  time  to  focus  our  attention  on  this  important  part  of  our 
 work.” 
 The  first  topic  is  definitely  a  scam: 
 THE  DO-  NOT-  CALL-  LIST  “VERIFICATION”  SCAM 
 Your  phone  rings  in  the  middle  of  dinner.  You  race  to  answer  it,  but  the  caller  is  neither  a  friend  nor  family  member.  It’s  a  stranger  --  a  telemarketer  --  trying  to  sell  you  a 
 product  or  service. 
 This  scenario  is  probably  repeated  in  hundreds  of  thousands  of  homes  each  evening,  creating  increasing  annoyance  on  the  part  of  consumers  who  then  seek  out  ways  to  identify 
 and  avoid  telemarketing  calls.  Caller  ID  is  one  way.  Also,  some  states  now  sponsor  “Do-Not-  Call”  registries  for  consumers  who  want  to  block  some  telemarketing  calls.  However, 
 these  registries  have  spawned  a  new  scam  that  feeds  on  the  increasing  frustration  consumers  have  with  telemarketers. 


 How  the  scam  works: 
 €  You  receive  a  telephone  call  from  someone  claiming  to  be  an  official  of  a  state  Do-  Not-  Call  registry  or  of  an  antifraud  consumer  group.  The  caller  asks  if  you 
1
 want  to  be  on  a  state  Do-  Not-  Call  list  or  to  verify  your  previous  registration  on  such  a  list. 
 €  Eventually,  the  caller  asks  for  personal  information,  like  your  Social  Security,  credit  card  and/  or  bank  account  numbers,  to  confirm  that  the  caller  is  talking  with 
 the  correct  person. 
 €  Armed  with  your  personal  information,  the  perpetrator  can  access  your  accounts  and  personal  records,  and  often  uses  this  access  to  steal  money,  make 
 unauthorized  purchases,  steal  your  identity,  etc. 
 What  You  Should  Know: 
 €  Signing  up  for  state-  sponsored  Do-  Not-  Call  lists  is  generally  initiated  by  the  consumer.  It  is  usually  free  or  requires  only  a  nominal  fee. 


 €  Once  you  are  signed  up  on  a  state  Do-  Not-  Call  registry,  there  is  generally  no  reason  you  should  receive  follow-  up  calls.  You  should  not  need  to  verify  your 
 registration  with  personal  information. 
 €  If  the  need  for  follow-  up  ever  does  arise,  you  should  never  be  asked  for  personal  or  financial  information. 


 FILING  A  COMPLAINT 
 You  can  file  a  complaint  with  the  FCC  by  e-  mail  (fccinfo@  fcc.  gov),  the  Internet  (www.  fcc.  gov/  cgb/  complaints.  html),  telephone  1-  888-  CALL-  FCC  (1-  888-  225-  5322) 
 voice,  1-  888-  TELL-  FCC  (1-  888-  835-  5322)  TTY,  or  mail  (Federal  Communications  Commission,  Consumer  &  Governmental  Affairs  Bureau,  Consumer  Inquiries  and 
 Complaints  Division,  445  12th  Street,  SW,  Washington,  DC  20554). 


 For  information  on  this  and  other  topics  of  interest  to  consumers,  visit  our  Web  site  at  www.  fcc.  gov/  cgb 
 To  receive  information  on  this  and  other  FCC  consumer  topics  through  the  Commission’s  electronic  subscriber  service,  click  on 
 www.  fcc.  gov/  cgb/  emailservice.  html. 
2