Can anybody pass on our mobile numbers without our knowledge for business purposes?

[Latha Ramesh]

Hello all,

Daily i receive many calls say - ateast 5 per day, regarding credit card offerings and loans from call centres of banks - HDFC, Standard chartered, HSBC, ICICI, etc.
1) How do they get my personal mobile number? I am using an airtel connection.
2) Can anybody pass on my number without my knowledge for business purposes? Is this punishable?
3) What should one do to avoid his/her number getting passed to such centres?

I am sure this is happening to almost all mobile users. Filing an RTI query can help in any of the above questions? Any information on this issue is welcomed.

[mpai]

Originally Posted by Latha Ramesh

Hello all,

1) How do they get my personal mobile number? I am using an airtel connection.
2) Can anybody pass on my number without my knowledge for business purposes? Is this punishable?
3) What should one do to avoid his/her number getting passed to such centres?

Maybe you might have filled up a form or something during an exhibition, where in you entered your mobile number. Alternatively, you might have given the number at a shopping mall counter, when you took the bill or free gift voucher etc. These are usually the sources for mobile numbers. Agents pay a huge amount to access such numbers.

Passing off numbers without your information is definately punishable. Let not thread this path at the moment. There are better alternatives.

Note down the numbers you received the calls from. Also note down the date, time and if possible the name of the caller. File a complain with the RBI giving all these details including the name of the bank they were advertising.

Best wishes

[mpai]

Originally Posted by mpai

Passing off numbers without your information is definately punishable. Let not thread this path at the moment. There are better alternatives.

Hello again,

Most carriers like Hutch etc. had started a Do Not Disturb option. All you had to was send an SMS like DND to a predefined number. Maybe you can call your customer care service and find out.

Recently the TRIA has issued a notification today which proposed to set up a National Do Not Call Registry with a penalty of Rs.500/- from the offenders. You might like to check it out here

http://www.trai.gov.in/trai/upload/P...june07no53.pdf


Good luck

Manoj

[karira]

Latha,
Most Cellular operators have a "Do not Call" registry.
You can either SMS them OR even go their website and list your number there, to get yourself on the list.
The problem till now was that there were no rules and no penalties to cover such calls. But, as pointed out by Manoj, TRAI has started the ball rolling and penalties as suggested by TRAI are fairly strict. We will all get some relief from such calls, pretty soon !

[karira]

Trai to curb unsolicited calls


TIMES NEWS NETWORK


New Delhi: Telecom Regulatory Authority of India on Tuesday issued a regulation to curb unsolicited commercial calls.

The regulation directs the setting up of a National Do Not Call Registry (NDNC registry) containing a list of telephone numbers of subscribers who do not want to receive unsolicited commercial communications (UCC). This includes SMS as well. The National Informatics Centre (NIC) has been authorised to install the NDNC within three months.

Once the registry is operational, telephone subscribers (both landline and cellular) who do not wish to receive UCC can register their telephone number with their telecom service provider for inclusion in the NDNC.

The telemarketer will have to verify their calling phone numbers list with the NDNC registry before making a call. Telemarketers will have to register with NDNC Registry to avail the facility of scrubbing their calling list.

From TOI, Hyderabad Edition, 6th June 2007.

[mpai]

Originally Posted by karira

Latha,
The problem till now was that there were no rules and no penalties to cover such calls. But, as pointed out by Manoj, TRAI has started the ball rolling and penalties as suggested by TRAI are fairly strict. We will all get some relief from such calls, pretty soon !

Well, the RBI directive did exist. One could note down the callers number, name of bank etc. and lodge a complain with the RBI. They used to take prompt action against the culprit.

The Do Not Call / Disturb option did not work much as the caller used to call anyway. The above RTI Complain option used to help.

It would take at least three months for NIC to upload all these numbers on the National Do Not Call Registry.

Manoj

[pixie0427]

I have tried complaining to the Banks and Mobile Telephone Operators directly after have registered dutifully on everyone's websites as well on the Airtel DNC, referring to the RBI and TRAI directives. ICICI Bank and ABN Amro Bank have both refused to provide any guarantees on cessation of their calls, and invited me to take whatever action I see fit. Airtel have expressed inability to control the calls but have shared summaries of the letters they have sent to offending parties.

However, Airtel has refused to share the names and addresses of the telecallers with me citing their subscribers' right to privacy. My questions are (1) how can people who invade others' privacy have their privacy protected? (2) why should a private telephony provider like Airtel be able to suppress subscriber data when MTNL publishes its directories online and in print? (3) what recourse can one have to telecallers who do not appear to fear the Supreme Court or the Telecom regulator?

[karira]

pixie0427,

I have faced a similar problem for last 3 months. I registered on the DND in December 2007 and was supposed to be on the DND "activated list" or "live list" since mid January 2008. But the calls never stopped. No one wanted to take responsibility.

I found a nice, humorous, effective, and strikingly simple solution to the problem.
Since that day, not a single pesky call !

However, that doesn't have to do anything with RTI. So I cannot post it here.

Please vsit www.bighelpers.org and I can provide you the solution there.

[pixie0427]

Thank you, Karira... appreciate the re-direction!