# Telemarketers can call cell phones now?

**URL:** <https://boards.straightdope.com/t/telemarketers-can-call-cell-phones-now/318142>\
**Category:** Factual Questions\
**Created:** [August 22, 2005, 5:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/telemarketers-can-call-cell-phones-now/318142 "2005-08-22T17:20:44Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 5\
**Page:** 1

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**Author:** ![tdn](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/94ad74/32.png) [@tdn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/tdn)\
**Post date:** [August 22, 2005, 5:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/telemarketers-can-call-cell-phones-now/318142/1 "2005-08-22T17:20:44Z")

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I did a search on this but nothing turned up. Maybe my search wasn’t good enough.

I just received this e-mail at work:

> [@](#):
>
> JUST A REMINDER…31 days from today, cell phone numbers are being released to telemarketing companies and you will start to receive sale calls. YOU WILL BE CHARGED FOR THESE CALLS…
> 
> To prevent this, call the following number from your cell phone: 888/382-1222 or log on to [www.donotcall.gov](http://www.donotcall.gov). It is the National DO NOT CALL list. It will only take a minute of your time. It blocks your number for five (5) years.
> 
> PASS THIS ON TO ALL YOUR FRIENDS

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**Author:** ![tdn](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/94ad74/32.png) [@tdn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/tdn)\
**Post date:** [August 22, 2005, 5:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/telemarketers-can-call-cell-phones-now/318142/2 "2005-08-22T17:23:07Z")

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Nevermind. A thoughtful and intelligent coworker snopesed this back to her by the time I submitted this thread.

I’ve been outsnopesed!

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**Author:** ![butler1850](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/779978/32.png) [@butler1850](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/butler1850)\
**Post date:** [August 22, 2005, 5:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/telemarketers-can-call-cell-phones-now/318142/3 "2005-08-22T17:31:17Z")

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Snopes-linkage?

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**Author:** ![tdn](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/94ad74/32.png) [@tdn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/tdn)\
**Post date:** [August 22, 2005, 5:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/telemarketers-can-call-cell-phones-now/318142/4 "2005-08-22T17:44:44Z")

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> [@butler1850](#):
>
> Snopes-linkage?

[Snopes-linkage.](http://www.snopes.com/politics/business/cell411.asp)

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**Author:** ![FatBaldGuy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/ecd19e/32.png) [@FatBaldGuy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/FatBaldGuy)\
**Post date:** [August 22, 2005, 6:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/telemarketers-can-call-cell-phones-now/318142/5 "2005-08-22T18:05:45Z")

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One thing that the Snopes link didn’t mention is that with the Phone Number Portability legislation recently enacted, many phone numbers formerly assigned to land lines are now cell phone numbers.

It used to be that telemarketers could tell by the area code and prefix whether the number was a cell phone, but that is not the case now.