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Last updated on Wednesday, March 1, 2017
(INDIANAPOLIS) - The Office of the Indiana Attorney General is thanking Indiana residents who answered its call to take necessary steps to ensure telephone privacy.
A total of 224,386 Hoosiers signed up for the Do Not Call list by Feb. 21 -- the first of four deadlines in 2017 - and even more are further reducing the risk of falling victim to a phone scam by following Indiana Attorney General Curtis Hill's simple, important advice: If you don't know the number, don't answer.
The high volume of telephone number submissions is a product of a new telephone privacy campaign aimed at protecting Hoosiers from phone scams - "Do Not Call/Do Not Answer."
The "Do Not Call/Do Not Answer" campaign began on Feb. 8 and serves as a blueprint to combat unwanted phone calls from telemarketers as well as criminals trying to scam Hoosiers. The final count of new phone numbers registered (224,386) on the first of four deadlines in 2017 more than doubled the total amount of Hoosiers who registered in 2016, when a total of 94,465 new telephone numbers were registered. Hoosiers who signed up by the Feb. 21 deadline will receive fewer calls from telemarketers beginning April 1.
The 224,386 new registrations are the highest total for a single quarter since 2011 when 189,000 Hoosiers registered during the third quarter of the year. Indiana residents who still need to sign up for the Do Not Call list can call 888-834-9969 or visit IndianaConsumer.com.
The next Do Not Call list registration deadline is May 16. You may register your information with the office's Do Not Call list at any time, but the updated lists only become available to telemarketers in three-month increments. Hoosiers who register by the May 16 deadline will begin receiving fewer telemarketing phone calls starting July 1, the next time the list becomes available to telemarketers.
Even if you're registered on the Do Not Call list, it's likely you'll still receive some phone calls from random, unknown numbers. The easiest way to avoid dealing with those phone calls -- whether it's a telemarketer or someone trying to rip you off with a scam - is by simply ignoring the phone call.
"I am extremely proud of Hoosiers who took our office seriously and followed the necessary steps to avoid unwanted phone calls," Hill said. "In the process, they have educated themselves on how to avoid falling victim to criminals trying to scam them over the phone."
Work remains, Hill added.
"Our efforts will continue," Hill said. "We still have three more deadlines this year, and Indiana residents can expect the same efforts from our office to make sure all who are not on the Do Not Call list get registered."
The telephone privacy campaign is aimed at safeguarding Hoosiers from potential phone scams. In recent years, more and more Hoosiers have filed complaints with the Office of the Indiana Attorney General Consumer Protection Division claiming they were contacted by someone from an unknown number impersonating authority figures such as a law enforcement officer or an Internal Revenue Service agent demanding money and personal information. Often, Hoosiers get tricked into believing these phone calls are legitimate, and they end up compromising their personal identity by providing sensitive information such as their Social Security and bank account numbers.
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