Daily Q&A: What's dangerous about robocalls?

I saw a warning from the Federal Trade Commission about unwanted robocalls. What was this latest warning about?

Some telemarketers are making deceptive credit card reduction rate offers through robocalls. Consumers should be cautious about such messages.

First of all, as of Sept. 1, most robocalls became illegal. The government still allows some prerecorded messages such as messages that are solely informational — for example, your child's school closing.

On Tuesday, the FTC sued three groups that were selling bogus credit card reduction rate programs as part of an ongoing crackdown on the practice. The FTC announced the publishing of its 2009 Do Not Call Registry Data Book.

Telemarketers must receive written notice from you that are permitting them to make robocalls to your phone.

For more information, visit: www.ftc.gov/opa/2009/08/robocalls.shtm.