Representatives from Clout Financial did not return calls for comment yesterday.

In the meantime, Harvard officials and House masters have discouraged students from responding to Clout’s calls.

Although FCC rules prohibit telephone solicitation before 8 a.m. and after 9 p.m., the only way to legally prevent solicitation and potential phone scams during all other hours is registration with Massachusetts’ “Do Not Call” law. The “Do Not Call” law guarantees that residents can register their phone numbers to prohibit the receipt of telephone solicitation by phone (866) 231-2255 or online at www.madonotcall.govconnect.com/welcome.asp.

But the problem of phone solicitations on campus may extend beyond Clout Financial, as students have said that they have received a variety of suspicious calls in the past.

Alana R. van Loenen ’08 says that she suspected ill dealing in a recent phone conversation regarding a “special deal.”

“She started out by saying, ‘Congratulations, you’re at Harvard.’ Then she said I was selected for a special deal and that she would just need some personal information,” said van Loenen.

And Middlebury college recently released a warning to its students regarding a credit card scam claiming to represent Citibank and Visa.