The Federal Trade Commission is alerting consumers that The National Do Not Email Registry is a sham and a scam, as there is no such Registry. According to a press release posted this morning:
The FTC is concerned that the “unsub.us”site could be part of a high-tech scam that uses a deceptive Web site to trick consumers into disclosing their e-mail address or other sensitive personal information. This site may be a ruse to collect valid e-mail addresses to sell to spammers. The result could be even more spam for consumers who sign up for this “registry.” Or it may be even worse – some scammers have collected information through bogus web sites like this one that mimic those of legitimate organizations, and then used the information to commit identity theft.
At the Registry website, the “sponsors” say: “The National Do Not Email Registry is managed by National Email Registry, LLC, an Independent Consumer Protection Organization based in New York, NY. The Registry was created to provide Consumers and Direct Marketers the tools required to help significantly reduce the volume of unwanted bulk messages ” Just this week, Evan Schaeffer started a discussion about ‘cynic incubators” — words (such as reform and consumer) that are adopted or misused to confuse the unway.
The FTC is advising consumers not to submit their e-mail addresses or any other personal information to any site claiming to be a “National Do Not E-mail Registry.”
The agency’s Bureau of Consumer Protection says the best way to avoid scams like this one is to keep your personal information to yourself – including your e-mail address – unless you know who you’re dealing with.
Should you get an e-mail claiming to represent a “Do Not E-mail Registry,” an organization to stop spam, or even the FTC itself, report it to the FTC at www.ftc.gov or 1-877-FTC-HELP. If you believe you have already been scammed, file your complaint at www.ftc.gov, then click on www.ftc.gov/idtheft to learn how to minimize your risk of damage from identity theft.
The press release notes that the FTC is “studying the feasibility of creating a National Do Not Spam Registry, and will issue a report in June 2004. At this time, there is no legitimate “National Do Not E-mail Registry’.”