I thought the following of sufficient worth to pass along for all of we =
Canukistanians who have cell phones.
P D Q
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Do-not-call scam circulating through e-mail
Cellphone providers are warning against a scam circulating via e-mail =
regarding the CRTC's recently implemented do-not-call telemarketing =
list.
CBC News=20
The e-mail warns recipients that cellphone providers are releasing their =
customers' numbers to telemarketers, so they should expect calls that =
will inevitably waste their airtime. Recipients are urged to call one of =
two phone numbers purportedly attached to the national do-not-call list, =
which the Canadian Radio-television and Telecommunications Commission =
launched on Sept. 30, in order to block such unwanted calls.
"All cellphone numbers are being released to telemarketing companies and =
you will start to receive sale calls," the e-mail says. "You will be =
charged for these calls."
The e-mail suggests the release of number databases has been confirmed =
by Telus Corp. and urges recipients to pass the message on to their =
friends.
Telus, however, issued an advisory on Tuesday evening warning that the =
e-mail was "fraudulent and dangerous" and urged customers not to respond =
to it or forward it.
Spokesman Shawn Hall said the company has no intention of releasing =
wireless numbers to telemarketers.
"We have no plans to do that ever," he said.
Telus is working on determining the source of the e-mail. Marc Choma, =
spokesman for the Canadian Wireless Telecommunications Association, said =
a similar scam was run a few years ago in the United States when the =
country rolled out its own do-not-call list.
One of the numbers in the e-mail is in fact the CRTC's do-not-call =
contact number, but the other has been linked to telemarketing scams =
going back a number of years, Hall said.
The do-not-call list allows Canadians to add their phone numbers - both =
landline and wireless - to a database that is circulated to =
telemarketers. A telemarketer that calls a number on the list is liable =
for a fine up to $15,000.
While the CRTC requires landline providers to list customers' numbers in =
the phone book, it is illegal for wireless companies to release =
cellphone numbers without their subscribers' express consent.=20
Telus has polled customers as to whether they would want their wireless =
numbers published in the phone book but found the majority believed =
their contact information to be private.
"It came back rather resoundingly that people did not want their =
cellphones listed in the phone book, and we respect that," Hall said