Telemarketers Get Your Cell Phone Number

If you’re in the shrinking pool of people who still have a land line, you’re most likely inundated with calls from telemarketers.

But your cell phone is different, right? You may have registered on the FTC’s National Do Not Call Registry and maybe you know regulations exist that limit the ways debt collectors and companies selling things can pester you on your cell phone.

That kind of thinking isn’t grounded in reality and, unfortunately, a growing number of telemarketing companies don’t care about lists and legislation and will harass you with unwanted calls and texts on your mobile phone anyway. In fact, one tech analyst recently estimated as many as 100 billion robocalls—those lacking a human being on the other end—and other solicitations are made to cell phones in the U.S. every year.

Anytime you fill out a form and give out your phone number—whether it’s a contest entry, a warranty registration, a signup form for an online service, what you include on your social networking profile—you’re opening yourself up for solicitations. Or, think about how many retailers have your number because you want loyalty points to score discounts or in-store credit.

“Anywhere you’re entering your number on a form or anywhere that you’re supplying your information, there is a chance that that number is going to end up in someone else’s hands, whether or not the policy is stating that you’re protected or not,” says Jonathan Sasse, acting CMO of PrivacyStar, an app that lets you block numbers on your Android smartphone as well as report abusers to the government.

Don’t you hate it when you give $10 to some charity that’s been hounding you only to have it double down on trying to get even more money from you? The few bucks you gave it are completely eaten up in its marketing efforts to get deeper access to your wallet.

Blame the third-party telemarketing companies the charities hire to collect funds on their behalf. According to indoor Tracking, “The telemarketers keep a percentage of whatever they collect, turning over the rest of your donation to the charity. However, the telemarketers also keep your personal information, from which they can profit exponentially as they sell and resell it to other telemarketing companies.”

Even better, use a fake or alternate number if you absolutely must sign up for a loyalty program or contest. And there’s simply no reason you need to post your phone number on Facebook or your Google profile. The people who you want to hear from already have your number.

I checked with Barajas and assuming that Sandoval gets the second batch of paperwork approved, he’ll be officially blessed with 90 days to go get 1,449 valid signatures.

I also understand that Casta?eda filed a response to the recall effort on Monday, which is his right by law. Unfortunately, I couldn’t get a copy before deadline, but I am dying to know what bizarre pretzel logic he’ll use as a defense. It should be entertaining if nothing else.Assuming Sandoval gets some help, I suspect he’ll be able to get those signatures and I wish him the best of luck.

The best thing about this affair turning from a possible recall to an actual recall election is that the people of District 1 will have a meaningful second bite at the apple to decide whether Casta?eda is truly fit for office.

"Broadly, I recommend using the following age categories: birth to preschool (kids can operate a touchscreen before they can walk!), young elementary, tweens, and teenagers. While only you can judge your child's individual maturity level, in general, a younger age should indicate the need for more supervision and restriction.""Your kids may grumble and make you feel like the bad guy, but stick to your guns. And make sure to share your screen time rules with grandparents, the parents of your kids' friends, babysitters, and so on."

"As phones become smarter, you also need to think about apps, texting, data usage, phone cameras, GPS and location services. Which features are you comfortable with your kids using? Be sure to check whether your child's phone's software comes with parental controls or allows you to disable certain functions.""Internet rules should cover e-mail, credit card requests,

search engine use, approved and banned sites, and rules for social media and chat. Especially if you have younger children who may not understand the guidelines and restrictions you want them to follow, it's worth your time (and perhaps money) to learn about setting filters and parental controls.

"Whatever consequences you choose, be sure to communicate them at the same time that the policy is created. I strongly recommend creating a no-tolerance policy on dangerous behaviors, such as cyberbullying, sexting, and texting while driving."

Click on their website www.ecived.com/en/ for more information.