• Library Home
• |
• Books & More
• |
• Article Databases
• |
• Journal TitlesJournal Titles
• |
• OCLS
• |
• Help
• |
• Contact Us

Do Not Call List
[Consumer Alerts]

Never pay to be put on a do-not-call-list. Never pay for an opt-out option. Believe it or not, the Direct Marketing Association wants do not call lists because they want responsible telemarketing that doesn't burn up a 482 billion dollar industry with angry consumers.

• Stop telemarketers in Indiana. http://www.in.gov/attorneygeneral/consumer/telephone/  888.834.9969
• National do not call list. http://www.ftc.gov/bcp/edu/microsites/donotcall/ 888.382.1222

You can document telemarketers and request to be on a do-not-call-list. Then you can sue for $500 per violation from the telemarketer! Telemarketers must identify themselves, call during normal business hours, and not use pre-recorded messages played to residential listings. Read this personal story about how Mark Eckenwiler sued a telemarketer and won $500: http://www.panix.com/~eck/telemarket.html. Eckenwiler also wrote about spam email and suing over junk faxes: http://www.panix.com/~eck/junkmail.html

Consumers who receive unsolicited fax advertisements are encouraged to contact the Federal Communication Commission (FCC) to file a complaint. A Consumer Complaint Form is available online at www.fcc.gov/cgb/complaints.html  or by sending a letter summarizing the complaint to the Federal Communications Commission, Consumer and Governmental Affairs Bureau, Consumer Inquiries and Complaints Division, 445 12th Street, S.W., Washington, D.C. 20554. Consumers can file complaints via telephone by calling the Consumer Center at 1-888-CALL-FCC. Consumers may be asked to provide documentation in support of their complaints.

Stop Spam
[Consumer Alerts]

In general, don't reply to SPAM but due to the CAN-SPAM Act of 2003 unsubscribing is becoming more effective. Don't use your primary email to request things on the internet. Increasingly the connection between spam, viruses and sexual related ads is becoming more evident. Use anti-virus software and setup a free disposable yahoo or hotmail email address to give out when a site requires an email address. Yahoo and Hotmail have anti-virus scanners built in to help protect you. However, when you have reason, file your fraud complaints with the BBB and FBI Internet Crime Complaint Center  which is a partnership between the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) and the National White Collar Crime Center (NW3C).

Do forward spam to your Internet service provider (abuse@aol.com) or to the Federal Trade Commission at uce@ftc.gov  for analysis and possible prosecution. The FTC collects an estimated 50,000 complaints about misleading e-mail messages a day. AOL currently blocks over 800 million spam messages every day, the equivalent of 23 e-mails from every AOL account every day.

• Spam is legal in the United States.
• Twenty-six states have enacted anti-spam legislation, but it hasn't done much.
• A bill in Congress would require companies to provide a valid return address on e-mail so consumers could request to be removed from mailing lists.
• The Federal Trade Commission has selectively cracked down on bogus business promotions.
• Currently, spam blocking falls almost exclusively to individual consumers.
• If you've been the victim of e-mail fraud, contact the FTC at uce@ftc.gov .

Hoax?
[Consumer Alerts]

Before you forward that email, be sure it's not a hoax. Many emails portraying injustice and begging you to forward them are simply not true. All viruses are curable and many outrageous claims begging to be forwarded are fake. Check out MicroTrend Hoax or http://www.vmyths.com/ .

"phishing" Scams
[Consumer Alerts]

Internet scammers have found a new way to commit identity theft, they go "phishing". These high-tech hackers forge email from official companies and dupe customers into entering a fake web site that looks like the real company site.

• If you get a threatening email from a company you do business with, be cautious. Legitimate companies will not threaten you with harsh tactics about closing your account or other dire consequences to force you onto a website.
• These sites look like the real site, only have a different URL and will ask for confidential information such as credit card numbers, social security numbers, birth dates and more. Don't be fooled into giving out your identity.
• Contact the real institution and inform them of the problem. Check your bank account and other information to verify your identity was not stolen. Its a good idea to get your credit reports annually to make sure things look copasetic.

See the PrivacyRights.org warning about phishing http://www.privacyrights.org/ar/phishing.htm

Get Your Credit Reports Free
[Consumer Alerts]

Fair and Accurate Credit Transactions Act (FACTA) which was enacted on December 4, 2003, amends the FCRA and requires, among other things, that the three nationwide consumer reporting agencies (CRAs) → Equifax, Experian, and Trans Union → provide to consumers, upon request, a free copy of their credit report once every 12 months. See http://www.annualcreditreport.com for details. You may also be entitled to a free credit report if you have been denied credit or employment or are a victim of identity theft. Contact the credit-reporting agencies to obtain a copy of your credit report.

Equifax Information Services
P.O. Box 740241
Atlanta, GA 30374
800-685-1111
www.equifax.com

TransUnion
P.O. Box 34012
Fullerton, CA 92834
800-888-4213 
www.transunion.com

Experian 
P.O. Box 2104
Allen, TX 75013-2104
888-397-7342
www.experian.com/reportaccess  

STEP TWO: If you see an error on your credit report(s), you may download and print this form to file a free dispute or call that credit reporting agency. NOTE: you must obtain, review and dispute each item with all credit agencies that report that error.

STEP THREE: After you fill out the dispute form, send it by certified mail, return receipt requested, and keep copies of your dispute letter and enclosures. Be aware, however, that when negative information in your report is accurate, only the passage of time can assure its removal. Credit reporting agencies are permitted by law to report bankruptcies for 10 years and other negative information for seven years. 

FACTA also entitles the public to other consumer reporting databases. Contact ChoiceTrust.com for insurance claims, pre-employment screenings and tenant history. Medical Information Bureau contains consumer medical longevity data. ChexSystems contains bounced checks and consumer banking data.

Security Freeze
A new tool to stop ID Theft cold is called a Security Freeze. This freezes your credit reports so that no one can even access it period. To gain access you must use a thaw report to thaw your credit. Unfortunatly you must freeze all three companies and subesquently thaw them, provided you want to establish a new line of credit. Freezes normally cost $10 but is free in Indiana. Most companies want your ss#, and other information along with a photocopy of your state ID and a utility bill. This will complicate your credit but will also provide you with great security against ID Theft.

Equifax
General info:
http://www.equifax.com/securityfreeze/index.html
State-by-state information
http://www.equifax.com/securityfreeze/state_file_freeze_grid.html
Freeze
P.O. Box 105788
Atlanta, Georgia 30348.

Experian
General info and state-by state information
http://www.experian.com/consumer/security_freeze.html
Experian
P.O. Box 9554
Allen, TX 75013.

TransUnion
General info and state-by-state information
http://www.transunion.com/corporate/personal/fraudIdentityTheft/preventing/securityFreeze.page
Trans Union
Fraud Victim Assistance Department
P.O. Box 6790
Fullerton, CA 92834.

Viruses and Spyware
[Consumer Alerts]

Viruses and Spyware don't always come in an email attachment. Spyware are small uninvited programs that marketers use to track usage and generate ads which frequently bog down your computer and internet connections. Many new viruses can attack a computer simply for being connected to the Internet. You should always be very cautious with attachments and free programs, but now days you must keep your Windows XP software patched and up to date. Be especially alert for free screensavers, calendars, clocks and other tools that beg you to install them free. Some unscrupulous purveyors actually sell spyware removal tools that are themselves spyware. Your anti-virus, spyware software and Windows must be continually patched and updated to remain effective.

• Buy a good anti-virus program like Norton, Mcafee. Avoid the suite programs because they are often overly cumbersome and cause problems with firewalls. Just because a company makes good anti-virus software is not a guarantee that they make good anti-spyware programs or firewall programs. Try a free firewall such as Kerio. You may like the free anti-virus program from AVG.
• Uninstall unneeded program from the Control Panel Add/Remove Programs. Also check your Start Menu - Startup folder and delete any programs you don't need to run every time you use the computer. Advanced users might check msconfig.exe (Start -> Run) and check the startup tab.
• Spyware Eliminator and Spy Sweeper are the industry's best, but there are free alternatives such as Spybot, Ad-aware, Windows Defender
• To clean specific viruses try Symantec Security Response or McAfee Security Tools
• Use http://windowsupdate.microsoft.com to obtain free security critical updates to protect your computer.
  NOTE: Never stop a Microsoft Windows Update once it has begun, or you could crash your computer.
• Update your anti-virus software weekly because old anti-virus software is worthless. Around 10,000 new viruses are created every year.

Version 7/2006

back