FCC Takes Action Against Two Companies for Alleged Telemarketing Violations

Late last month, the FCC announced actions against two companies for allegedly violating Federal telemarketing regulations. First, the FCC proposed a $37.5 million forfeiture against Affordable Enterprises of Arizona, LLC for allegedly "unlawfully spoofing caller ID information to perpetrate a large-scale illegal telemarketing campaign." Second, the FCC proposed an $82 million forfeiture against Best Insurance Contracts, Inc. for allegedly "perpetrating an illegal spoofed robocall campaign involving more than 21 million robocalls during a three-month period from late 2016 through early 2017."

Read about these FCC Actions here and here. Learn about other FCC telemarketing laws, such as: Robocalling laws, autodialer laws, telemarketing licensing, telemarketing registrations, and telemarketing rules.

35 Attorneys General Submit Comments to FCC Regarding Robocalls

Last week, 35 state Attorneys General jointly submitted comments to the FCC imploring the agency to implement new rules to combat illegal robocalls. This was done as a response to the FCC's request for comments regarding methods of blocking illegal robocalls. One of the main themes of the letter is their support for a new "STIR/SHAKEN" method:

"Those concerned with battling illegal robocalls and illegal spoofing have been waiting for voice service providers to fully implement the STIR (Secure Telephone Identity Revisited) and SHAKEN (Secure Handling of Asserted information using toKENs) protocols – frameworks that service providers can utilize to authenticate legitimate calls and identify illegally spoofed calls. The State AGs see the industry is making progress concerning this initiative. On September 13, 2018, the Alliance for Telecommunications Industry Solutions (“ATIS”) filed a letter at this docket announcing the launch of the Secure Telephone Identity Governance Authority (“STI-GA”), which is designed to ensure the integrity of the STIR/SHAKEN protocols. With the launch of the Governance Authority, the remaining protocols can be established. Reports indicate STIR/SHAKEN will be operational by some carriers throughout next year."

Read the full letter here. To understand telemarketing compliance, contact a telemarketing lawyer, TCPA attorney, or telemarketing law firm.

FTC Settles Charges Against Alleged Perpetrator of Amazon Get-Rich-Quick Scheme

The FTC has settled charges against defendant Jeffrey A. Gomez for $63.5 million, most of which will be suspended when Gomez has surrendered $2.55 million in funds and assets to the FTC. The FTC alleged that Gomez and his businesses, "[Falsely] claimed their 'Amazing Wealth System' would enable consumers to create a profitable online business selling products on Amazon. Buyers, however, did not earn the advertised income. Most of them lost significant amounts of money, and many experienced problems with their Amazon stores, including suspension and losing their ability to sell on Amazon.com." Read the FTC's press release about this settlement here.