Why are unlisted/unpublished numbers sold to telemarketers and the like rather than a listed number?

Question

Doesn't that defeat the purpose of having them unlisted/unpublished?

Answer 1

Telemarketing companies will be numbers from everywhere, and have auto-dialers like the above poster mentioned. You can be scrupulous about where you put your unlisted phone number, but you can't hide from auto-dialing.

Many states have instituted legally binding "Do Not Call" lists, where you can register your phone number(s) as "no soliciting". If telemarketers continue to call you, you can use your registry on the DNC list to take them to small claims court (a time period after signing up applies, as well as needing to warn the caller at least once, etc, but it's still nice to scare them!). Ask at your city hall, county seat or local government branch if your state has such a list.

Answer 2

If you have an unlisted number they ca not sell it. However telemarketers get around that by just dialing a bank of numbers. For instance they are given a sheet of numbers. At the top would be 2 numbers - say 11. Then throughout the rest of the sheet they have every possible phone number that could be made with the first 2 numbers being 11 for that area. So it looks like 1100 1101 1102 1103 etc etc etc. That way they are not breaking any laws or anything and they get a hold of everyone - including those who have unlisted numbers.

Answer 3

Telemarketing has had to adapt. They now buy lists from companies like your bank (not all banking institutions), online places, and some even have auto-dialers that just call 111-222-1111 and so on. If they get an answer, they will record that phone number and an actual person will call it. I had someone call my cell phone - I asked them how they got my number because it's unlisted. They stammered and hung up. Come to find out that a certain mortgage comparision center was selling phone numbers to telemarketers.

Answer 4

I suggest this reverse phone lookup service: http://reversephone.toptips.org

It's a cheap service that works great!
It could be used for a much deeper search. You can use it to get hold of different varieties of background reports, and in addition cell numbers, addresses and names..
you can get unlimited reports... I ran with this because I required to verify more numbers. You can get the name, other phone number, address history, relatives, and much more about anyone!
The completly free reverse phone lookup generally doesn't provide anything interesting. To get interesting information, money will must be paid. The free searches don't provide considerably more than what may be found through the phone directory.
The reverse phone detective search tool does work, but you should use just the service that I posted above. The last thing you want to do, is pay for a service and find the numbers you want to lookup are not available in their directory.
The service that I reccomend doesn't have any kind of problem , you won't get any bad surprise!

Answer 5

Apart from being sold down the river by your bank, which still shouldn't get round the national do-not-call list there's the danger of forming a 'business relationship' with unscrupulous companies. Don't enter any of these free-prize-draw things, they are a scam to establish a relationship between you and them and the small print says that they and their associates can call you for marketing purposes.

Charities are exempt from the do-not-call list and love to shop your details round all their friends, I have taken to being very rude with these people, I give to the charities I am interested in, any others they sell my name to had better like being told to do physically impossible things to themselves... if no-thank-you doesn't work, I don't like to be nasty to people who are just earning a living... unless they won't get off the phone.

Irritated by telemarketers? Me? What ever gave you that idea?

Answer 6

yes, but it all boils down to "money"....there are making lots of money selling those list....unlisted-unpublishedd...they get it somehow!!!!