Rep. Gary Palmer, R-Ala., urged Americans on Newsmax on Wednesday to be cautious when subscribing online or sharing personal contact information, warning that even legal robocalls and texts can lead to privacy intrusions, and illegal ones can be devastating.
Palmer, chair of the House Energy and Commerce Subcommittee on Oversight and Investigations, warned Americans to be more careful when giving out their phone numbers and email addresses, especially online or while shopping, as both legal and illegal robocalls and texts continue to flood consumers.
Appearing on "The Record With Greta Van Susteren," Palmer emphasized that while some robocalls and texts are legal, they can still open the door to unwanted communication and potential scams.
"There are legal robocalls and texts," Palmer said. "I think a lot of people, when they sign up for a credit card, or they sign up for discounts on certain deals, don't realize that they're agreeing to get these calls or these texts."
"You do have the ability to get off a list of something that you may have inadvertently signed up for," Palmer said. "But it's the illegal ones that I think are problematic, that are scamming the American people. I've heard numbers as high as $25 billion that it's costing the American public each year."
Van Susteren pushed back, expressing frustration with the difficulty of unsubscribing from emails, even when she never knowingly subscribed.
Palmer acknowledged that problem, noting that he also receives unwanted messages.
"I, like everybody else, get them too, Greta, and I unsubscribe, and I haven't had much of a problem in getting off their list," he said. "But what happens is they'll cycle through and send you another one from some other entity that they're tied to. Our telephone information, our email addresses, and things like that are sold all the time."
While some unwanted communications can be managed, Palmer warned that others are much more dangerous.
"It's the ones that are trying to trick you into giving your last four digits of your Social [Security number] or trying to get into your bank account or some other way where they're taking advantage of people," he said. "It's particularly a problem for older people."
Palmer said consumers should be more discerning before giving out personal contact information, even in exchange for discounts or app access.
"When I purchase a product, and it gives you this option to get a discount or whatever, but you got to give them your telephone, your cell number or your email address — I don't do it," he said.
While Palmer said he avoids apps and social media that require complex agreements, he recognized that many consumers are unaware of what they agree to when accepting lengthy terms of service.
"That's something that we can look into — to see if there's some federal remedy that could be applied to this," he said. "But I'm more focused on the fraudulent stuff. That's not a nuisance. That's a crime."
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Jim Thomas ✉
Jim Thomas is a writer based in Indiana. He holds a bachelor's degree in Political Science, a law degree from U.I.C. Law School, and has practiced law for more than 20 years.
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