From The Desk of Michael Shames

Dear Fellow Telemarketing Victim:

You are awakened by a ringing phone, but when you answer, nobody is on the line. Then, just as you drift off to sleep, you get another call. This time there is a voice on the line, but while they seem to know you, you don’t recognize the voice. Soon you realize: it is a telemarketer. What you may not realize is that you have just been targeted by a sophisticated piece of computer technology called a "predictive" dialer.

These machines call your home in advance of a telephone salesperson to find out when you are home. Once you answer, the device hangs up. Then, a few minutes, or up to an hour later, you will get a call from a sales person. Your phone has been automatically dialed by a computer, and as soon as you answer, you will hear a pause as the computer routes you through to an available telemarketer.

Auto-dialers and phone scripts are the tools of the telemarketer. This handbook gives you the tools you need to fight back and regain your privacy. As a kicker, it shows you how you might get paid for your efforts.

As you’ll see inside, we not only show you how to cut junk calls in half, but we’ve armed you with our own anti-telemarketing "script," tear-out letters of complaint and legal notification, and legal references that you can use to argue your case. So the next time you are harassed by an unwelcome caller, do not get angry. Instead, take the law into your own hands and fight back.

Wishing you peaceful and quiet evenings,

Michael Shames, Executive Director, UCANto cut "junk" phone calls in haf