NEW HARTFORD, N.Y. (WKTV) - Wireless cell phones used to be an escape from ill-timed solicitations that land lines often fall victim to but that is no longer the case.

Verizon Wireless customers are among millions of users who are receiving unwanted calls from telemarketers trying to sell extended car warranties. The real kicker here is many of the receivers do not even own vehicles nor are they in need of warranties.

The better business bureau first warned consumers about car warranty scams two years ago, when they started to arrive in mailboxes across the country.

Companies offering overpriced plans, while offering little to no safeguard for consumers and now these scammers are becoming technology savvy.

Verizon Wireless representatives tell NEWSChannel Two that in the past few months, more than 2 million of their customers have received the warranty sales pitch, many of whom live right here in Central New York.

Here's how it works: An automated voice warns of an expiring warranty and prompts people to press one for more information. At that point a sales associate picks up but consumers who press for company information are promptly hung up on.

To really add to the trickery, the number that shows up on caller I-D usually comes back as out of service.

Verizon Wireless representatives say they are well aware of the problem. In fact, they filed a federal lawsuit just last week against those they believe are responsible.

If you think the unsolicited callers are violating your privacy, Verizon says they are violating the Federal Telephone Consumer Protection Act which makes it illegal to to use an autodialer to call wireless phones.

Verizon had this response:

"whatever the method, these unlawful telemarketing calls are an annoyance to our customers and invade their privacy, and we will continue to use every weapon in our arsenal to stop this activity and protect our consumers."

One technique these callers use is called spoofing. It masks the origin of the calls but there are some things you can do. Be aware and never give out your credit card information to unsolicited callers and strike back. One website called whocalled.us allows consumers to post numbers from unsolicited callers. One viewer gave us a number from one of the car warranty companies so we plugged it in and guess what she was not alone.

If you receive one of these calls,the best bet is two polite words, no thanks. Write the number down and call your cell phone customer service line to report it.