Opt-Out of Web Directories

You may believe that your cellular phone is immune to sales calls and obnoxious telemarketers. Unfortunately, you have been misinformed. As Do-Not-Call lists become more and more prevalent, telemarketers and sales callers must find trickier ways to obtain your information and pester you. But how exactly do these pests obtain your information? Let us look at a few ways.

Directories

Directories are not so prevalent for cell phones, but painfully relevant for landlines. Most phone books, such as the Yellow Pages, publish your address, full name, and phone number. However, by contacting your local publisher of phone directories and requesting to be unlisted, you can prevent your personal information from becoming public record.

Your Info, Bought and Sold

Occasionally, when you give your phone number to a company that you do business with, they turn around and sell their list to other businesses. It is a sad but true fact. Selling these lists can prove to be easy profits, and companies are turning to these sleazy tactics more and more in these troubled economic times.

Public Records

Sometimes local counties and governments post your public information online in mass lists of county residents. It is a simple and startling fact. Try entering in your name plus "phone number" in a web search. The results may surprise you.

Since these methods seem quite underhanded, there certainly must be a good and honest way to combat them, right? Here are some tips on preventing sales calls from disrupting your dinner.

Track The Information Vendor

If you can obtain the name of the organization or business that initially sold your information, contact them and request to be opted out. However, there are many reports that these vendors will request Social Security numbers or addresses before they will process your request. Although you may be dying to have your name removed from their list, it is never a good idea to give your Social Security number to anyone, ever. Consider doing some research on the vendor. If they seem to be a scam, report them to your local authorities.

Call Your Local Government

If your local government or county legislator is making public records too easily accessible, call and make your voice heard. Chances are that other citizens fear for the privacy of themselves and their families as well.

Request To Be Placed on Their Do-Not-Call List

If you receive an unwarranted pesky sales call, immediately request to be placed on their Do-Not-Call list. If you have not yet enrolled in the Federal Do-Not-Call Registry, do so immediately at http://www.donotcall.gov/.

Boycott Businesses that Sell their Call Lists

If you have discovered that a company with whom you conduct business is selling their call lists, begin a boycott against them. Let them know that you do not give business to companies that sell their call lists, and that you intend to tell your friends and families to do the same. It may seem like an insignificant measure, but you would be surprised as to how effective the loss of a few customers can be in making a company change its policies.

If your number and information has been made readily available to pesky telemarketers, ensure that you take appropriate steps in combating these pesky callers. Always cut ties with any business that sells its directories for profit.