Telemarketing

• Be on the alert when telephone solicitors call you.
• If you are not familiar with the company, do not give them your credit card number or checking account number.
• Beware of solicitors that use high-pressure sales tactics. Do not let yourself be pressured into buying.
• Solicitors frequently use "free gift" offers to entice you to buy.
• Do not hesitate to decline a sales offer and hang up when an uninvited solicitor calls.
• To place your telephone number on the "No Sales Solicitation Calls" list, contact the Florida Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services at 1-800-435-7352.

Charity Frauds

• Make sure your funds are going to the charity and not a con artist.
• All groups soliciting for charitable donations must be registered with the Florida Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services.
• Be alert to "sound-alike" names used to sound like well-known charities.
• If you ask, solicitors are required by law to disclose what percentage of money is given to the charity and how much is used for administrative purposes. Upon your request, a financial disclosure report must be mailed to you within 14 days.

If you have any questions about any of the procedures mentioned here, contact the Pinellas County Office of Consumer Protection at (727) 464-6200.

Florida Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services