The concern that the national Do Not Call list is being abused by some telemarketers has now sparked an investigation by Canada's privacy commissioner.
There are worries that companies are using the list to gain the telephone numbers of people who actually don't want to be contacted.
More than 2.7 million Canadians have signed up for Canada's Do Not Call list. Sue Wallis told CTV that she regrets registering because she is now getting even more unwanted telemarketing calls -- up to four a day.
The CRTC, which oversees the list, confirmed it has 500 hundred official investigations ongoing. That translates to thousands of consumer complaints.
"All telemarketers must follow the national Do Not Call List rules and we will be investigating the complaints and taking the appropriate actions," said the CRTC's Lynn Fancy.
Now, the NDP critic for consumer affairs has asked Canada's privacy commissioner to investigate.
Glenn Thibeault is concerned that hucksters are able to sign on to the government website and get the Do Not Call list of numbers for only $50 to $100.
He says if the government has inadvertently created a problem it will need to take measures to correct it.
The fines now are quite steep, as high as $15,000 for a corporation and $1,500 for a small business for each infraction. But that doesn't really work if offshore scam artists are buying the list and selling fake Caribbean cruises. And nobody has been fined yet.
You can help the CRTC investigations by making note of the name of the company or individual calling, the phone number and any other information you can gather and then forwarding it on.
With a report from CTV's British Columbia's Chris Olsen
