Whenever I post information about consumers’ telemarketing rights on Facebook, I tend to get questions about scam calls. If you ever wanted to know what to do about unsolicited telephone calls from fraudsters, keep reading…
First of all, let me explain our involvement with BC’s telemarketing industry. Our office oversees BC’s telemarketing laws – rules in place to make sure telemarketers are only contacting consumer at appropriate hours and are keeping certain records. It’s important to know there are certain people or businesses that don’t need to be licensed as telemarketers (these include charities, educational institutions, banks, credit unions, businesses conducting surveys and political organizations).
Why don’t you investigate scam calls?
Scammers who contact you by phone are not legit telemarketers. Many of these calls originate overseas and, because they’re engaging in criminal activity, they aren’t likely to follow BC’s telemarketing laws or the national do not call list (a list overseen by the Canadian Radio-television and Telecommunications Commission – click here for more information). As such, scams and frauds fall under the authority of the police.
What should I do if I get a scam call?
Hang up and make a report with the Canadian Anti-Fraud Centre. You can report an incident online or by phone (1-888-495-8501). The Canadian Anti-Fraud Centre is jointly managed by the RCMP, the Competition Bureau and the Ontario Provincial Police.
How do I get scam calls to stop?
As we mentioned earlier, it may be difficult to get scam calls to stop because the people calling you are not legitimate telemarketers and are ignoring the law. That said, you still have options and here are a few steps you may want to take:
- Talk to your phone company and see if you have the option to block the number (many cell phones have this capability and there are also some apps you can install for this purpose). The Canadian Radio-television and Telecommunications Commission recently made an announcement about telephone providers and their responsibility to prevent nuisance calls.
- If you’re a victim of a scam, make a report with your local police. If you think you may be the victim of identity theft, follow the steps found in this article from the RCMP.
We hope you found this information useful!
ADDITIONAL READING:
Watch out for charity scams
A scam warning from Canada Revenue Agency
Cell phone scams: What do you need to look for?
The Do Not Call List
Hi Ann, thank you for sharing your experience and I’m glad you managed to avoid the scam!
A few months ago I got a call from a kid that said he was my grandson, and he he had been arrested in the Dominican Republic, for drunk driving. he said he needed $2500.00 to pay the police to release him. I said “Is this Jerrod” he said “Yeah Grandma its Jerrod” I let him go on with his speech, then told him that I suggest he tell the police to put him in a cell for trying to scam me.. I do NOT have a grandson named Jerrod.
I can block calls on my cell – easy. I can’t on my landline. I get numerous calls that are the hang up before voice mail message kind, that only increased after I went on the no call list. I realized that the no call list is used for one thing – to get your number and call…worse mistake on my part.
I handle phone calls in one way. If I don’t recognize the name or the phone number on call display, I don’t answer. If it’s important, they’ll leave a message. If it’s a telemarketer leaving a message, one quick press of the number 7, voila! Gone.
We still have a land line, and still use the old but trusty answering machine. Unfortunately, it’s the only way to screen calls. We get at least one or two calls a day with unknown numbers, or numbers from a different province or state. If we recognize the number, we’ll answer… if not we listen to the message, if there is one. This way we can decided whether or not to answer.