FTC to increase frequency of robocall reporting, New FCC Fine

Last week, the FTC announced that they will be increasing the frequency that they report phone numbers suspected of being used to make illegal robocalls. The FTC receives more consumer complaints about unwanted robocalls than any other category. Nearly two million of these complaints have already been filed in 2017. In last week's announcement, the FTC stated that when they receive complaints about robocallers, the corresponding phone numbers will be reported daily to telecommunications carriers and other organizations that are working to block illegal robocalls. This change will make it even more important for businesses that use prerecorded voice messages to do everything they can to avoid and quickly resolve consumer complaints. Learn more about robocall laws.

FCC proposes $82 million fine for alleged spoofed robocalls

Just weeks after the FCC issued a $2.88 million fine against a company for allegedly making millions of robocalls using technology that enabled caller ID spoofing, a much more significant fine of $82 million has been proposed against Best Insurance Contracts for allegedly making 21 million calls using similar technology. Based on consumer complaints, the FCC subpoenaed the call records of Best Insurance Contracts and verified that the spoofed calls were made. Business owners should do everything they can to resolve consumer complaints on their own before the consumer decides to send those complaints to federal agencies. Examples of best practices include only calling with proper consent, only displaying caller ID information for numbers that the business does own, scrubbing against national and state DNC lists, and honoring all opt-out requests. Learn how to follow other telemarketing rules and set proper telemarketing compliance goals.