Posted on 10/27/2007 7:39:27 AM PDT by shrinkermd
Mailings Fool Seniors Into Accepting Pitches; States Launch Charges
Older Americans around the country are getting duped by a seemingly innocuous tactic that can expose them to hard-sell pitches from the insurance industry.
The technique is centered on a marketing tool called the lead card, and it became popular after the federal government created its Do Not Call Registry in 2003 to shield consumers from unwanted solicitors. Sent through the mail, the lead card invites the recipient to mail off an enclosed reply for free information about, say, estate planning.
"It's a huge loophole," says Pam Dixon, executive director of the World Privacy Forum, a San Diego nonprofit researcher of privacy issues including commercial use of personal information.
The technique is prompting legal action from states across the country. Because the loophole itself violates no law in most states, prosecutors are focusing their cases on other lead-card deceptions. The cards often falsely imply an affiliation with the federal government or with advocacy groups such as AARP, for instance. Many of the cards also fail to mention that replies will be turned over to insurance salespeople.
(Excerpt) Read more at online.wsj.com ...
“But the cards fail to warn that by sending off replies, recipients are giving up their right to avoid telephone solicitations from the sender — even if their phone numbers are on the Do Not Call list.”
There are scams on the internet that, in very fine print, also open one up for fone solicitations.
These cards are not just turned over to sales people; they have to pay for these leads; often resulting with people that don’t speak English.
So the insurance field in some cases is scamming the sales agent as well as the customer.
I didn’t realize that there was anyone left who actually reads advertising stuff that comes in the mail.
The only question I would ask them is "Does anyone know you are here?"
They give their pitch, then at the very end of the call they give the option to (1) press 1 to be connected to a live agent to sign up for a new credit card or (2) press 9 to be removed from the call list.
Basically, I am satisfied with the Do Not Call. A few political and donation calls do happen, especially the Fraternal Order of [Police or Law Enforcement Officers or Sheriffs or some variation]. My worst was my telephone company. One week I got 4 sales calls from them. I finally called their customer service and complained and got removed from their list.
Hated the idea of paying for caller ID. We were driven to getting it in June. It is great as we only answer the phone when we know the identity and phone number. All other calls go unanswered and dumped at the end of the day.
How do these people manage to save any money in the first place?
Just today on my way to work I dropped a few bucks into a boot that a fireman was holding while standing in the middle of the street at a stoplight. I figure if they are willing to risk getting hit by a car to solicit funds for a fund drive then they will get my money.
No! It can't be! What's the world coming to?!
I personally believe that all email advertising (spam, etc), junk mail and unsolicited phone calls should be made completely illegal, punishable by death and/or the nuking of your respective country for all the jackasses that will move their spam businesses overseas.
I don’t think that’s too much to ask, I mean really.
Yeah. And then there's the one where they say "i'm calling about your mortgage". Or my all time fave, and this one i've got too many times to count, they say "this is Susie from blahjlsjdrvml mortgage". I say "what mortgage company, i didn't understand you?" Everything else they say is clear except the name of the company. It's hilarious.
Well, I certainly don't, and I am on the no-call list. I have also noticed that if you try to make a purchase on line, quite often providing a telephone number is a requirement. Why, I am not sure. If I don't really need the product or service immediately I abort the purchase right there, otherwise I am stuck.
On the home end, I have settled on never answering the home phone number, I just call back the one call out of 20 that I really need to deal with.
My family and friends have my cell phone, which I can answer with total confidence because no business ever gets that one.
Our Colorado FOP went on the record endorsing the Dem candidates in the last election. I have been giving their solicitors a piece of my mind ever since.
We get calls at the office all the time: “... we’re updating our info - what is the firm’s name? The mailing address? Your fax number and email?” I have told the person who answers the phone time and time again - do NOT give out firm information to anyone we do not know - NOTHING good will EVER come of it.
Even my state professional society sent out this letter signed by the the society about a seminar that was VERY IMPORTANT and should definitely be attended by all memebrs... I went and paid for it - and all it was was a practice development firm pumping their services for 4 hours - no actual information involved - and then of course collecting everyone’s firm information and fax numbers, etc. Sure enough after about a week the junk faxes started coming.
I call the society and asked them about the letter, and they just said that the firm wrote the letter and told them to send it out, I complained about the tactic but she just didn’t get it at all, as far as they were concerned they got a few bucks for “sponsoring” these charchters, and saw nothing wrong with using the society name for a few bucks that way.
This is a joke, right?
I can accomplish the same thing by simply unplugging it.
Just saying...
In other late-breaking news, water is said to be wet, and it is rumored that the Pope may in fact, be Catholic. This hour, we also have exclusive footage of bears defecating in the woods, and our crack investigative team is close to a breakthrough on determining the key differences between fecal matter and a well-known brand of shoe polish.
Marketers using trickery. Who'd have ever thought that?
These are often semi-legit scams. A fundraising company cuts a deal with these organizations (State Sheriffs, FOP, etc.) and then turns over only a few pennies on each dollar raised. NEVER send money or give credit card info to people soliciting over the phone.
Just today on my way to work I dropped a few bucks into a boot that a fireman was holding while standing in the middle of the street at a stoplight. I figure if they are willing to risk getting hit by a car to solicit funds for a fund drive then they will get my money.
I don't do that either. What I do is regularly send donations to my LOCAL volunteer fire department, rescue squad, and town police funds.
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