FTC: No-Call 'Pre-Registration' Sites Are Scams
The Federal Trade Commission yesterday said it had filed complaints against the operator of two Web sites who claimed he could pre-register consumers for the national no-call registry for a fee.According to the FTC, Ken Chase operated Freedonotcalllist.org and Nationaldonotcalllist.us out of Novato, CA. The sites told consumers that they could stop telemarketing calls, junk faxes and direct mail by buying a subscription to their services for $9.99 to $17.99 yearly, the FTC said.
Consumers who visited Freedonotcalllist.org and pre-registered received an e-mail telling them they would be registered as soon as the no-call list becomes available, the FTC said. They were directed to join the "active list" at Nationaldonotcalllist.us, which charged them the fee, according to the FTC.
Both Web sites appeared to be down as of yesterday.
Consumer signup for the national no-call list will be free and begin in July, the FTC said. California, which will adopt the national no-call list as its in-state list, is offering free pre-registration to its residents at nocall.doj.state.ca.us.
