Over the last six weeks, our office has heard from a number of constituents who are signed up for the national Do Not Call Registry, yet are still receiving solicitation calls at home. Many of the calls seem to come from one entity, “Cardholder Services,” which continues to contact Delawareans even if they are in the Do Not Call Registry.
We are taking action to address this problem as quickly as possible.
In the past, the Federal Trade Commission took action against a telemarketing scam where a solicitor identifies themselves as “Rachel from Cardholder Services.” It seems as if those behind the current calls have picked up the audio and dialing technology from that scam.
The FTC is working to shut down as many of these copycats as they can, but they have advised us that the best defense is a good offense. So, we want to spread the word among Delawareans: never share your credit card number, Social Security number, or any other personal information with unsolicited, unknown callers. Getting phone calls at home is annoying, but the consequences of identity fraud can be devastating.
Many of these “Cardholder Services” calls claim to be able to negotiate lower interest rates with your credit card companies, if you just pay them a fee first. Don’t fall for it! It is illegal to take fees upfront before providing services, and the FTC says that the companies behind these calls can’t do anything for you that you can’t do for yourself – for free.
If you have received calls like these despite being on the Do Not Call Registry, you can file a complaint at www.donotcall.gov or by calling 1-888-382-1222. You should also feel free to contact Senator Coons’ Wilmington office at (302) 573-6345.