telemarketers

Dish sued by FTC over 'Do Not Call' rules

People who've received unwanted sales calls from Dish Network may yet get some satisfaction.

The company is the target of a lawsuit from the Federal Trade Commission alleging that it made sales calls to millions of consumers even though they had asked not to be called again.

The calls reportedly violated the FTC's Telemarketing Sales Rule. According to that rule, a telemarketer cannot call someone who has asked to be taken off the company's call list, even if the person is not registered with the National Do Not Call list.

The FTC's lawsuit alleges that Dish … Read more

IBM's Watson to become telemarketer?

You're sitting at dinner. The phone rings. You don't recognize the number. Who can it possibly be?

Either the lover of your dreams or, slightly more likely, someone trying to sell you a landline to add to your cable package.

And yet, it might well be that this won't be some ordinary telemarketer. It might be the infamous "Jeopardy" player, Watson, the IBM supercomputer.

The way ExtremeTech tells it, Watson is being groomed for even lower things than game shows.

For IBM reportedly has a dream of turning him into the world's most efficient (… Read more

The 404 Extended Vacation Throwback: Episode 212, 10/23/08

Unfortunately, 2/3 hosts of The 404 aren't feeling well this morning, but you'll be psyched to hear this throwback episode, where we make Dan (the mantern) smell-lel-lel-lel what the 404 issss cookin. But don't stress out too much, we'll be back tomorrow for another live feed. Enjoy!

Protecting yourself from vishing attacks

You might have heard about online "phishing" scams designed to steal money from unsuspecting Web users, but now criminals are using another type of scam called "vishing" to commit the same crimes.

Last week, the Federal Trade Commission filed lawsuits against two telemarketing firms in Florida and a company claiming to sell extended automobile warranties for violating the Do Not Call registry and fraud for selling bogus warranties for between $2,000 and $3,000 a pop. Since 2007, the companies supposedly made 1 billion calls and generated more than $10 billion.

These companies likely used … Read more

The 404 212: Where we make Dan smell-lel-lel-lel what the 404 is cooking

Are Justin and Wilson offended by the title of the new Guns 'N' Roses album? What kind of music does Wilson like? (HINT: It starts with "mmmm" and ends with "usical theater.") Can Chinese people really nap anywhere? How many poo-poo jokes can we make in one episode? Find the answers on today's show, and also learn how you can win a copy of Baja and Far Cry 2 for Xbox 360!

NOTICE: Tomorrow's live show will start early at 10:45 a.m. Eastern. Be there or Jeff will open the floodgates of haterade!

Dan the Mantern here, and it's contest time. Your mission, should you choose to accept it, is to Photoshop CNET's very own Internet celebrity Dan Ackerman into a completely inappropriate picture. Make Dan into the new Client Number 9, put his head on Princess Zelda's body or, even more ridiculous, give him his own network TV show! Make us laugh and you'll win a copy of Baja or Far Cry 2 for Xbox 360 and Tales Out of Night School, Ackerman's newest CD. We're even throwing in a few promotional jimmy hats from BeenVerified.com. Trust us, if you combine Dan's CD, alcohol and a significant other, you'll need em!

EPISODE 212 Download today's podcast … Read more

FTC all but bans robocalls

WASHINGTON--The Federal Trade Commission essentially banned robocalls Tuesday--creating new rules that telemarketers may only send the prerecorded sales pitches to people who actually want to receive them.

The FTC amended its Telemarketing Sales Rule after reviewing more than 14,000 comments made since October 2006, when proposed amendments were published for public consideration.

There are two stages to the change: By December 2008, robocalls will be required to include an automated key-press or voice-activated opt-out. Beginning September 2009, telemarketers won't be able to send out any robocalls without "the prior express written agreement of the recipient to receive … Read more

Have you dumped your landline yet?

It's hard to believe that 10 years ago a cell phone was still a novelty. Now it's nearly impossible to imagine life without mobile communication.

As new modes of communication open up, will others go by the wayside? There may be a generational divide opening here, as younger adults in particular start asking themselves what good is a landline anyway? About a quarter of adults age 18 to 29 rely on a mobile phone as their only telephone service.

I am tempted to dump my landline, not because I have an amazing relationship with my mobile phone, but because telemarketers have turned my ringing landline into an incredible nuisance. An admittedly unscientific study of my caller ID log reveals that I've been getting four junk calls for every call I actually want to receive.… Read more