Senator Fuschillo Warns Consumers About New Identity Theft Scam

Scammers Claiming to Represent National Do Not Call Registry in Order to Steal Individuals Personal Information

     Senator Charles J. Fuschillo, Jr. (R-Merrick) is alerting consumers about a scam in which criminals pretend to be representatives of the National Do Not Call Registry in order to steal consumers’ identities.

     According to the Federal Trade Commission, scammers have been making phone calls claiming to represent the National Do Not Call Registry. The calls offer an opportunity to sign up for the registry and attempt to pry personal information such as names, addresses, and social security numbers. Consumers who receive these calls should not respond to them; they are not coming from the Registry or the Federal Trade Commission.

     “Identity thieves are always coming up with new ways to try and steal individuals’ private information. Now they are pretending to be from the Do Not Call Registry to trick people into divulging their social security number and other personal information. Consumers can register for the Do Not Call Registry on their own and do not have to give out their social security number in order to do so. Residents should not respond to these types of phone calls and continue to be very careful about giving out their personal information,” said Senator Fuschillo.

     Residents who would like to add their number to the Do Not Call Registry can call 888-382-1222 from the phone they wish to register or register online by visiting www.donotcall.gov.