The Federal Trade Commission along with roughly 100 other State and Federal law enforcement officers are starting a crackdown known as Operation Stop Scam Calls. The announcement was made by the FTC last week, and they vowed to crack down on these companies that are pestering citizens with unwanted and illegal telemarketing calls.
Overview
The task force that will be partaking in the crackdown includes the U.S. Attorney Generals from each state in America, along with other state and local authorities. The FTC also went on to say that this crackdown includes over 180 initiatives. Some of these initiatives include the targeting of telemarketing companies and Internet Providers that facilitate robocalls. Samuel Levine is the director of the FTC consumer protection bureau. Levine said in a statement, “We don’t know too many people out there who enjoy getting scam calls. A single unwanted call is one too many.”
Companies Settling
Despite approximately 249 million people being on the national do-not-call registry, this has not stopped these people from still receiving telemarketing calls. In particular, a New York-based firm known as Fluent just recently settled a $2.5 million civil lawsuit, after they were accused of tricking people to enter their personal information with lures such as debt reduction, educational institutions asking for donations, and of course, people reaching out regarding your vehicle’s extended warranty. Along with Fluent, four other unnamed telemarketing firms settled in lawsuits for several millions of dollars as well. There was also one more company that was ordered to pay a settlement but is unable to, as that particular company does not have enough money to pay the settlement.
Wrap Up
It is worth mentioning that Fluent and all the other firms involved in these civil cases have not admitted any wrongdoing and even went on to say that their telemarketing practices are legal and ethical. However, not everyone feels the same. “Robocallers are like a plague of locusts,” Ohio Attorney General Dave Yost, a Republican, told reporters. “The attorney general also gets robocalls. It really is universal.” Regardless of what political side people reside on, I think it is safe to say that all Americans would appreciate the continuance of cracking down on these scam calls.