Don't fall for national no-call-list scam

As it becomes easier and easier to obtain information on just about anyone or anything, more and more Americans are looking for ways to keep their lives private. Thanks to the Internet, information is just a few clicks away on any topic imaginable.

But the Internet works both ways. There's hardly a computer connected to the Internet that doesn't receive unsolicited e-mails pushing products or services that you may never want or use.

Internet spam, as it is called, has quickly filled the void once occupied by telemarketers.

For many years, a lot of legitimate businesses relied on telemarketing to reach potential customers. Through phone calls, these businesses offered products and services at a competitive price. People who didn't want to be contacted by phone anymore could ask to be placed on a no-call list maintained by each business engaged in telemarketing, and these legitimate businesses would honor such requests.

But it was too easy to use the telephone for scams. And the incidence of nuisance calls combined with outright fraud led states to take action.

Two years ago, Missouri began its first state-supervised no-call list. By simply calling a toll-free number in the attorney general's office, any Missouri telephone user can request to be added to the no-call list at no charge. Companies engaged in telemarketing face penalties if they ignore the state's no-call list. However, Missouri's no-call law allows exceptions to some businesses, so telemarketing calls haven't completely gone away.

Just as there are scams in telemarketing and Internet spam, now there appears to be a scam that preys on your desire to protect yourself. Here's how it works.

Missourians are receiving telephone calls from a company offering to put your phone number on a national no-call list. Cost? $500.

As Missouri's attorney general, Jay Nixon, points out, there is no such thing as a national no-call list. Anyone who uses telemarketing anywhere in the country must abide by state-sanctioned no-call lists, regardless of the state or where the telemarketer is located.

Anyone offering to protect you from national telemarketers is just trying to dip into your bank account. The state no-call list is free. There is no national no-call list. Beware of anyone trying to get you to pay $500 for nonexistent protection.