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Have you continued to get telemarketing calls even though you’re on the federal “Do Not Call” list? Clark has found out why. Internet phone calling is not included in the scope of the law. So, American companies have been hiring telemarketers outside the States and using them to call you with their sales pitches. Clark plans to contact the Federal Trade Commission to ask if this is legal. When the Do Not Call list was created, no one thought about the possibility of calls coming from overseas. So, we’ll let you know what we find out. Also, keep in mind that you must re-register on the list every couple of years to keep telemarketers away. There are a few exceptions. If you did business with a bank for 18 months after your last account activity, the bank can legally call you and any marketing partner of the bank can call you. Also, politicians and charities are allowed to call.

A couple months ago, Clark shared the story of Shirley Tias. She had received checks in the mail from scam artists. They conned her into thinking she’d won a lottery. She deposits the checks thinking they’re legitimate. But they bounce and she ends up getting charged with fraud. She spent a night in jail and was facing more time behind bars if prosecuted. Thankfully, the charges were dropped once it got to court. But the process is ridiculous. How many times is law enforcement going to get this wrong? They go after the victim instead of the criminals, who in this case were in Canada. The reality is that we could stop this if banks updated their systems to verify checks electronically. There is no reason why a check that someone deposits can’t be checked on the spot to determine if it’s a fake. But banks don’t want to spend the money to upgrade. If nothing else, post signs warning people about phony cashier’s checks. Basically, the banks don’t care. As a result, about 50 innocent people get taken and end up in jail each year. They will continue to get taken unless the financial industry takes an interest.