robocalls

FCC cracks down on campaign robocalls to cell phones

The Federal Communications Commission has issued citations that accuse two companies of bombarding wireless customers with millions of illegal robocalls during last year's presidential election.

Working for both the Democratic and Republican parties, the two companies placed more than 1 million artificial voice messages each without consumers' prior authorization, the FCC said Friday. The companies, Dialing Services and Democratic Dialing, also failed to provide proper identification as required by federal law, the FCC said.

"Consumers have increasingly been sounding the alarm on robocalls, rightly complaining about unwanted, intrusive cell phone calls and text messages from strangers, or worse … Read more

FTC offers $50,000 to robocall killers

The Federal Trade Commission is offering a cash reward of $50,000 to whoever develops a solution to block robotic calling on both landlines and mobiles.

In 2009, the FTC banned automatic commercial telemarketing calls -- but solicitation is still a problem as advanced technology makes illegal, irritating calls more difficult to block.

The FTC Robocall Challenge site says that anyone who wants to take on the war with robo-marketeers can submit their idea from October 25 to January 17.

The FTC is asking these basic questions: does it work? Is it easy to use? And can it be rolled … Read more

FTC goes after warranty robocallers

Those annoying robocalls asking if you'd like to extend the factory warranty on your car may soon come to an end.

Last week, the Federal Trade Commission filed lawsuits against three companies--Voice Touch and Transcontinental Warranty, both of Florida, and Network Foundations, based in Illinois--alleging these companies violated the Do Not Call registry law by making more than 1 billion robocalls since 2007 to residences, businesses, and mobile phones.

The suit also alleges that the calls, which have generated more than $10 million since 2007, offer unnecessary and false warranty extensions for several thousands of dollars. And that the … Read more

FTC: Dish Network violated Do Not Call rules

The federal government and four states are suing satellite television provider Dish Network for violating laws regarding the national Do Not Call registry.

The Federal Trade Commission on Wednesday said Dish Network has been calling consumers on the Do Not Call list, either directly or through marketing dealers working on its behalf, to promote its services since 2003.

The agency also said the company's "robocalls," or automated messages, are in violation of the federal Telemarketing Sales Rule. The agency's complaint was filed jointly with attorneys general from California, Illinois, Ohio, and North Carolina.

"Because a … Read more

Bart Simpson robocalls for Scientology

A squat little man with dubious hair and a penchant for suggesting people place their mouths near his shorts has been robocalling on behalf of the Church of Scientology.

Yes, Bart Simpson. (Who on earth did you think I was talking about?)

The Village Voice reported that Nancy Cartwright, the lady who is Bart's tonsils, called many people to invite them to a Scientology event. And she used her Bart impression to make an impression.

The Voice quotes Cartwright's call: "'This is Bart Simpson' -- she quickly says she's just kidding and identifies herself. But she … Read more

Election Day brings invasion of robocalls

An uninvited guest showed up at dinnertime for some Pennsylvania families last week: a robotic telephone message informing them that Barack Obama had associated with a terrorist.

The robocall warned of Obama's "extreme leftist agenda" and noted that the Democratic presidential nominee "has worked closely with domestic terrorist Bill Ayers, whose organization bombed the U.S. Capitol, the Pentagon, a judge's home and killed Americans."

That message, which identified itself as originating with the McCain-Palin 2008 campaign, was telephonically delivered to voters in Florida, Ohio, Virginia, and other states as well.

Because of a … Read more

FTC all but bans robocalls

WASHINGTON--The Federal Trade Commission essentially banned robocalls Tuesday--creating new rules that telemarketers may only send the prerecorded sales pitches to people who actually want to receive them.

The FTC amended its Telemarketing Sales Rule after reviewing more than 14,000 comments made since October 2006, when proposed amendments were published for public consideration.

There are two stages to the change: By December 2008, robocalls will be required to include an automated key-press or voice-activated opt-out. Beginning September 2009, telemarketers won't be able to send out any robocalls without "the prior express written agreement of the recipient to receive … Read more

'Abusive' political robocalls targeted by senators

"Robocalls," the bane of many an Americans' existence during the heat of political campaigns, would encounter new limits under a U.S. Senate bill proposed Tuesday.

Under the "Robocall Privacy Act of 2008," anyone who makes or sets up the one-sided, computer-generated calls without following certain rules could be hit with fines of up to $1,000 per violation--or up to $3,000 if those violations are found to be "willful."

The rules would look like this: No calls after 9 p.m. or before 8 a.m., no more than two calls to … Read more