900 numbers & recording calls

With my AT & T bill arrived a green, as in ink color, bulletin. One topic was 900 telephone numbers.

Fact: Call a 900 number and the company you are calling may be able to display your phone number by using FCC - regulated technology.

A tip from the FTC (not FCC) website:

Think twice before calling a 900 number for a "free" gift. Television ads, postcards and telemarketers may urge you to call a 900 number to get a "free" prize. But you pay for the so-called free gift by making the 900 number call. The provider of the service usually makes money on a per-minute basis, so there's an incentive to keep you on the line.

More from AT & T . . .

California laws strictly protect your right to privacy: Your telephone call may not be intercepted, monitored, or recorded unless you agree to it. Your call can only be monitored and/or recorded if:

Everyone on the call agrees; or

You hear a beep or warning tone every 15 seconds; or

Law enforcement or national defense agencies get special permission.

Reality check - if you make an international call, your call is intercepted and digested by the NSA. Expect that the contents of any telephone call you make with a mobile phone is receiving similar treatment.