RIP-OFF ALERT: The FTC has announced the largest-ever bust of telemarketers as part of its “Operation Tele-PHONEY.”

Here’s the scoop: Scammers were trying to sell people all kinds of things over the phone, from advance fee loans to big savings on Rx to magazine subscriptions to household products for seniors. Though they were many independent telemarketers, the common thread here is that they all sought to get your checking account information. Once they had it, they would bill you and try to empty out your account.

The banking industry continues to have zero security in place for drafts on your account. A legitimate person trying to cash a hardcopy check will be put through the ringer at bank. But if you just have an account number and present a draft, they’ll pay it no questions asked. This is a true Achilles’ heel that can easily be exploited by criminals.

The takeaway is simple: Never give out your check routing number over the phone or on the web. Pay via money order if you’re dealing with a collection agency. Sure, you may pay a nominal fee to do so, but this is the only truly safe way to settle up your debt.

President Bush will sign a bill to extend protection for those on the Do Not Call list. Telemarketers were poised to start dialing up millions who were just about to go off the registry, so the move is a timely one. So many people have registered for protection that those who haven't are just slammed with extra calls now. Now some telemarketers are even beginning to call cell phones.

If you haven't registered on the list, do it now. If you register and still get calls on your cell, the solicitors are either breaking the law or they may qualify for an exception that allows banks and brokerage houses to share your info among all their affiliates. When you set up new accounts of any kind, you should not give out your cell phone number. If you no longer have a landline, Clark recommends that you get a GrandCentral number, which is like a "fake" home number.

There's been an e-mail flying around the country again about the Do Not Call list and how cell phone users are supposedly about to have their names sold to marketers. Law enforcement has denied that this is true and Clark too wants to emphasize this is a false rumor. When it comes to the National Do Not Call Registry, you want to register your home phone number. Clark also thinks you should register your business number -- even though it's discouraged. That way you'll have full protection from solicitors. But the bogus e-mail that's been circulating shows that more and more people use their cell phones as their sole point of contact. This is a bad idea because marketers can sell it again and again if they get hold of it. If your only phone is your cell and you want to avoid annoying solicitation calls, try signing up at GrandCentral.com where you can get a "fake" home number. Special kudos to one listener who pointed out that GrandCentral is still being tested. At this point you must be invited to join by someone who already has an account. All others will be wait-listed until the service officially launches.

Clark can remember when he never answered his home phone because almost every other call was a telemarketer. He would let the call go to the answering machine and, if it was not a telemarketer, he’d pick up the phone. Now, he can answer the phone and rarely is it a telemarketer. That’s because of the National Do Not Call list. One hundred million people are now on the list, according to recent news reports. What that means is that if you are not on the list, you’re more likely to get solicitations than before because the telemarketers have so few people left to call. They are complaining to their friends on Capitol Hill about the fact that they can’t do business anymore, but it’s falling on deaf ears. The people have spoken! We don’t want to be bothered by telemarketers. So, if you’re not on the list, call or go online today at donotcall.gov.

Would you believe that 97 million Americans have joined the national “Do Not Call” list? The registry puts your name on a list of people who do not want to be bothered by telemarketers. Just go to donotcall.gov and sign up. Once you register, you’ll get a confirmation e-mail. Then, about 120 days later, you’ll see a serious decline in the number of telemarketing calls you get. It’s still hard to prevent everyone from calling you though. Columbia House, for example, is under investigation for violating the “Do Not Call” law. The company, which allegedly made tens of thousands of calls, didn’t admit any wrong doing. Instead the company paid a $300,000 fine. It may sound like a lot, but it’s really just a drop in the bucket for a company of that size. Clark wishes the fines for these corporations were bigger so they’d feel it a little more in the wallet.