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Financial Services Law Insights and Observations

After settlement, six remain in FTC robocalling suit

Federal Issues Robocalls FTC Telemarketing Sales Rule FTC Act Settlement Enforcement

Federal Issues

On January 10, the FTC announced that it entered into two settlement agreements: one with a call center and two individuals, and one with an additional individual (together, “the settling defendants”) that it claims made illegal robocalls to consumers as part of a cruise line’s telemarketing operation allegedly aimed at marketing free cruise packages to consumers. According to the two settlements (see here and here), the settling defendants “participated in unfair acts or practices in violation of . . . the FTC Act, and the FTC’s Telemarketing Sales Rule [(TSR)]” by “(a) placing telemarketing calls to consumers that delivered prerecorded messages; (b) placing telemarketing calls to consumers whose telephone numbers were on the National Do Not Call Registry; and (c) transmitting inaccurate caller ID numbers and names with their telemarketing calls.” The defendants are permanently banned from making telemarketing robocalls, and have been levied judgments totaling $7.8 million, all but $2,500 of which has been suspended due to the defendants’ inability to pay.

Also on January 10, the FTC filed a complaint in the U.S. District Court for the Middle District of Florida against the remaining six defendants allegedly involved in the telemarketing operation, for violations of the FTC Act and TSR based on the same actions alleged against the settling defendants.