Action 9

Action 9 tests effectiveness of ‘Do Not Call' registry

By Jason Stoogenke, wsoctv.com
By Jason Stoogenke, wsoctv.com

CHARLOTTE, N.C. — The Do Not Call registry is supposed to prevent unwanted phone calls. But does it work? Action 9 investigator Jason Stoogenke spent three months putting it to the test.

After Stoogenke received 18 unwanted calls in 30 days, he signed up for the registry, waited the 30 days that callers have to comply and started keeping track. He received just five unwanted calls in the next 30 days.

He didn't answer the phone when the unwanted calls came in. Instead, he called them back from another number.

One was a newspaper selling subscriptions, another a political survey, one just rang, one was disconnected and one seemed like a scam.

When the phone call was answered, the recording didn't identify itself or give any way to reach a real person.

It just had the following automated message: "Hello and thank you for calling. If you'd like to be placed on a 'do not call' list for the number that called you, please press 1 now."

Stoogenke, concerned that pressing 1 would play into a possible con, hung up.

"IT’S VERY AGGRAVATING"

Kannapolis resident Donna Fowler said she can get three, four or five unwanted calls in a single day just on her cellphone.

She said she gets as many as 10 on her landline, including before church and while she's at work.

"It's very aggravating," she said.

Fowler said she signed up for the registry, but she said she still receives too many unwanted calls.

She would like the law changed so politicians, survey groups and charities can't reach her either.

"I think if I put my numbers on that list, I don't want to be called by anybody," she said. "I don't want to be bothered by people I don't want to be bothered by. If it's somebody I want to do business with, then I'm going to call them."

NORTH CAROLINA ATTORNEY GENERAL'S OFFICE RECEIVES 3,500 COMPLAINTS IN 2015

The North Carolina attorney general's office said it gets more complaints about do not call violations than almost anything else.

Last year, it received nearly 3,500 complaints about unwanted calls.

Breakdown of calls:

  • 500 offers for credit card services
  • 240 Microsoft tech support scam that Action 9 investigated
  • 218 home alarm companies
  • 183 medical companies, usually for medical alert devices
  • 150 charities

About one-third of the charity calls involved the North Carolina Troopers Association, which isn't affiliated with the Highway Patrol. Stoogenke contacted the association but has not heard back from it.

THE LAW

The law says groups can't cold call you, whether they use a real person or a recorded message, but there are exceptions.

If the caller uses a real person, it's OK for the following groups to call even if you're on the registry:

  • Political groups
  • Survey groups
  • Informational calls (like doctor reminders)
  • Charities (as long as the charities themselves call, not third parties)
  • Business you've bought something in the last 180 days (unless you ask the business to stop calling)

If the caller uses a recorded message, it's OK for the following groups to call even if you're on the registry:

  • Political groups
  • Survey groups
  • Informational calls (like doctor reminders)
  • Charities (as long as the charities themselves call, not third parties)

One problem with the registry is that while legitimate companies respect the rules, scammers will still call.

FILE A COMPLAINT

If you think someone called you illegally, you can file a complaint with the attorney general's office or the Federal Trade Commission.

The attorney general’s office has taken legal action against some companies in recent years and won against:

Several states are currently suing DISH Network in federal court over its telemarketing practices. They said DISH breaks the rules about robocalling, but gets away with it because it hires third parties to make those calls. If the states win, it could change how many companies do business.

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