Attorney General's News Release

January 28, 2003

Issues of privacy, No Call and No Spam fit with theme of National Consumer Protection Week (Feb. 2-8), Nixon says

Jefferson City, Mo. —In this age of instant access to information, consumers should be concerned about issues of privacy and information security and take appropriate steps to protect themselves, Missouri Attorney General Jay Nixon said today. Nixon made the remarks as his office and other state and federal consumer protection agencies around the country prepare to observe National Consumer Protection Week from Feb. 2-8. The theme of the week in 2003 is information security.

"The vast amount of information available today and the speed with which it can be accessed is a tremendous benefit to society, but it also increases the risk that information about individuals can be obtained and used in fraudulent ways," Nixon said. "Consumers need to realize how important it is to safeguard sensitive information about themselves, such as Social Security numbers, credit card numbers and bank account information."

Nixon said one way Missourians can prevent the release of sensitive information is by reducing telemarketing calls to their homes. Missouri's No Call law has not only helped reduce telemarketing calls, Nixon said, it also has resulted in complaints of telemarketing fraud dropping by 50 percent.

"We've found that with telemarketing calls being made to fewer Missourians, we're seeing a corresponding reduction in complaints of telemarketing fraud," Nixon said. "Consumers should never give their financial or personal information to someone who calls them who the consumer does not know."

More than 1.1 million home phones are on the Attorney General's No Call list already, representing an estimated 2.8 million Missourians. Anyone not yet on the No Call list can register online or by calling toll-free 1-866-NOCALL1 (866-662-2551). Feb. 1 is the deadline for registering to have the phone included on the April 1 No Call list.

Nixon said he also is working with legislators on a bill that could help protect consumers from information-related fraud. The bill would create a No Spam list similar to the No Call list, where consumers could register their e-mail addresses to stop receiving unsolicited commercial e-mail.

"The billions of spam messages sent each day contain many solicitations intended to quickly separate you from your money and personal information," Nixon said. "We want to give Missourians the same protection from these unwanted electronic messages as we are able to give them from telemarketers through the No Call law."

Nixon said the Federal Information Center provides other information that can help consumers protect financial and personal information from being used fraudulently:

• Look for privacy policy statements on sales materials, Web sites and forms that companies ask you to fill out. If you don't see anything about how your personal information will be handled, ask. By doing business with companies whose privacy practices meet your approval, you can protect yourself from abuse and use your purchasing power to help promote good privacy policies.
• Never give anyone your passwords or pin numbers. Con artists may try to trick you into providing this information by pretending to be your service provider.
• Do not give out personal information to people or companies you don't know. A credit card number, savings or checking account number, or Social Security number in the wrong hands can be used to steal from you or to steal from others in your name.
• Don't give retailers information that isn't required. You don't have to give numbers other than the one you are using for payment.
• Give your Social Security number to employers, government agencies, lenders and credit bureaus only.
• Be selective in what information you include on warranty registration forms. Many questions can be ignored. The company only needs the purchase date, model/serial numbers, and how you can be contacted if there is a product recall.
• Ask what information about you may be tracked and how it is used. Supermarket scan cards enable you to get special sale prices, but your purchasing history could also be sold to other companies.
• Screen your calls. You can use an answering machine to listen to a caller and decide whether you want to pick up. Your local telephone company may offer services that you can buy to accept calls only from certain numbers, or Caller ID to see the name and number of the person calling you.
• Talk about privacy issues with your children and other household members. Everyone should understand what information you feel is and is not appropriate to provide on the phone, while using a computer, and in other situations.

Consumers can get more information about National Consumer Protection Week.

Missourians who want to file a complaint or inquire about a business can download a complaint form or call the Consumer Protection Hotline at 1-800-392-8222.

Inquiries from consumers should be directed to consumer@ago.mo.gov or 1-800-392-8222 (from within Missouri) or 573-751-3321 (outside Missouri).

All media inquiries should be directed to Press Secretary John Fougere.

E-mail      Phone: 573-751-8844         Fax: 573-751-5818