Recently, your BBB has been receiving calls from the same telephone number over and over again. We are experiencing exactly what consumers receive on a daily basis. The calls are coming from the 516 area code which serves the Nassau County area in New York State.
When the call is answered, no one is on the line. After a bit of research on our part, we have found that other businesses and consumers around the country are receiving the same call.
Some of the comments that other consumers and businesses have made are:
“When I answered this call it hangs up. 20 minutes later, it does it again. I called back the 516-561-9797 number; my call is picked up, then immediately hang-ups. Not sure what is going on.”
“They call me 3 or more times a day... nobody at the other end, and won’t pick up when called back.”
This type of call appears to be “predictive dialing” used by telemarketers. Predictive dialing is when a telemarketer's automatic dialer simultaneously dials more phone numbers than the telemarketer can handle if all of the called parties pick up at the same time. Oftentimes, the first person to answer his or her phone is connected to the telemarketer, while the rest are disconnected.
FCC rules require that companies identify themselves to consumers and also that telemarketers maintain "do-not-call" lists for people who do not wish to receive telemarketing calls from a certain company. The practice of predictive dialing and the resulting abandoned calls often do not allow consumers to identify the company calling, and, therefore, do not afford consumers the opportunity to make a do-not-call request under FCC rules.
What can you do to avoid predictive dialing by telemarketers? Consumers who wish to avoid all telemarketing calls may want to get their telephone number on the do not call list. Consumers can contact the FTC National “Do Not Call” Registry at 1-888-382-1222 to register their home phone number.