Telemarketing Fraud Reporting

Programs that provide a hotline, website or other mechanisms that consumers can use to report the activities of individuals who are fraudulently selling goods and services via the telephone. Telemarketing fraud schemes often begin with a letter or postcard describing an appealing offer with a 900 or 800 number to call and a convincing sales pitch by the promoter. Characteristics of telemarketing fraud include offers that sound too good to be true, high pressure sales tactics, insistence on an immediate decision, requests for credit card numbers for verification purposes, claims that there are "no risks", details which are not available in writing, people who have won a prize but must pay something before receiving it, and individuals who are asked to trust the telemarketer or are told they are one of only a few people eligible for the offer. Reports may be filed by telemarketing fraud victims or by people who have information about individuals they know to be perpetrating these types of scams.