Consumers and businesses must be vigilant in avoiding a new telemarketing scam, in which callers offer to sign up individuals to the Do Not Call register for a fee, the industry watchdog has warned.
Chief executive of the Australian Direct Marketing Association, Rob Edwards, says individuals and businesses should do their research before they sign onto any service offered over the phone, uninvited.
“There was a similar type of service that came up after the register first appeared. Look, it doesn’t surprise me, there are people out there running scams for all sort of things,” he says.
“It happens. There are plenty of crooks out there as well. How many emails do you get these days that are still promoting the Nigerian scams? There are plenty of things people do and unfortunately this is just another one. All people need to do is just make sure they know the register is free access.”
The Australian Communications and Media Authority has warned about the new scam on its website, with chairman Chris Chapman saying the regulator has received over 30 complaints about this particular scam within the last month.
However, ACMA warns the actual number of scam calls is likely to be much higher than the number of complaints received.
“The Do Not Call Register is a free service provided by the Australian Government,’ said ACMA Chairman, Chris Chapman, who warned consumers not to provide any personal identification or financial details to telemarketers making these calls.
‘If you receive a call from someone offering to list your number on the Do Not Call Register for a fee, we recommend you get as much information as possible from the caller and lodge a complaint with us.’
Patrick Stafford is a freelance journalist and a former deputy editor of SmartCompany.
