December 31, 2012 - For several years now there has been an email message that keeps getting resurrected in the last few days of each year. The message claims that cell phone numbers are about to be made public and that if you want to avoid receiving telemarketing calls, you need to add your cell phone to the FTC's no-call list. But the message is simply incorrect.

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Anyone can add their cell phone to the no call registry. In fact, you are probably wise to do so. This is especially true for anyone who has converted away from a land line, but kept their land line phone number, and now only uses cell service. There is a very good chance that people in this position will receive telemarketing calls on their cell phones. And depending upon your cellular service plan, you could wind up having to pay for the calls.

The email message making this claim probably got started because cell phone carriers have been talking for years about putting together a white-page directory of cell phone users. To date, that hasn't happened, and there is no indication that this year will be any different.

The one thing that concerns us about these messages is that some of them provide a phone number for the person receiving the message to call so that they can add their number to the no-call registry. This could easily be changed by scam artists and be used to collect information on cell phone users.

If you are interested in adding your phone to the no call registry, simply visit www.DoNotCall.gov. This is the web page for the registry and you add all of your phone numbers to it online. 

byJim Malmberg

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