FTC Reviews Illegal Robocall Violations & Ringless Voicemails
The Lyon Firm is investigating new illegal robocall violations and taking on new TCPA cases on behalf of plaintiffs nationwide. Protect your privacy and take legal action against robocalling companies.
The Federal Communications Commission (FCC) and the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) are cracking down on companies robocalling consumers, vowing to issue large fines against violators.
In fact, a recent record-setting fine of $45 million was lodged against Interstate Brokers of America after allegedly making 514,467 unlawful robocalls without subscribers’ prior express consent. The company repeatedly called landline and wireless phones with purchased lists of phone numbers from third-party vendors. Consumers had complained about prerecorded voice messages marketing insurance plans from the company in question, which led to a TCPA investigation.
The FTC has been issuing cease and desist letters, further warnings to companies who fail to comply with current consumer protection laws. Written warnings have been sent to Voice-over-Internet Protocol (VoIP) providers. The options are as such: cooperate with robocall investigations or prepare to be sued in federal court.
Two California VoIP service providers were recently ordered by federal courts to turn over information that the FTC is seeking as part of ongoing investigations into potentially unlawful robocalls.
XCast Labs, for one, allegedly failed to comply with an investigation, and only produced a “small fraction” of requested information. Deltracon also failed to turn over information requested by the FTC.
Are Robocalls Illegal?
Not only are robocalls illegal, but soon ringless voicemails may be as well. In February, the FCC Chair announced a possible new requirement for callers to obtain consent before delivering ringless voicemails. The FCC statement decried the voicemails as “annoying, invasive and can lead to fraud like other robocalls.”
In additional TCPA news, the FCC issued two cease and desist letters—to Great Choice Telecom LLC, and Telecom Carrier Access, Inc.—after the companies allegedly transmitted robocalls on behalf of their clients. By law, if companies fail to limit illegal robocall traffic or fail to respond to the FCC to document robocall prevention, they may be faced with fines.
To continue combating illegal robocall traffic, the FCC has moved to establish new partnerships with state authorities. Now sixteen state attorneys general on board with assisting federal TCPA investigations.
The FCC says, “Protecting consumers from robocall and spoofing scams is an everyday challenge…By sharing information and closely cooperating on investigations, we can better protect consumers everywhere.”
If you have received illegal robocalls, unwanted text messages or ringless voicemails, contact The Lyon Firm to investigate. Protect your privacy and seek compensation.