Consumer Alert
FTC sues telemarketers over Do Not Call violations
If you’re on the Do Not Call Registry, companies shouldn’t call you out of the blue to try and sell you something. In fact, it’s usually illegal.
The FTC continues to take action against companies and telemarketers that ignore the Registry. The latest example: today the FTC announced a complaint against Alliance Security, a home security system installation company, Alliance’s owner, Jasjit Gotra, and two of Alliance’s telemarketing firms, along with their owners. These two telemarketing firms — Defend America and Power Marketing Promotions — and their owners have agreed to settle the FTC’s charges.
Like with many illegal telemarketing operations, each call typically started with a prerecorded message asking people to press 1 or follow prompts. Anyone who did was then connected to a live telemarketer.
Even after receiving many complaints, the FTC says, the companies continued to call people whose numbers were on the Do Not Call Registry. Some people went as far as scheduling installation appointments just to tell Alliance in person to stop calling, the FTC alleges. Alliance Security and Gotra previously settled charges with the FTC in 2014 while doing business as Versatile Marketing Solutions.
You can learn more about the Do Not Call Registry in our FAQs. If a company doesn’t respect the Registry, report it. To add your number to the Do Not Call Registry, go to donotcall.gov or call 1-888-382-1222 from the phone you want to register.
What if you’re on the Registry and still getting bombarded by unwanted calls? Odds are, many of them are from scammers — and they don’t care about the Registry. Find out more about your options when it comes to blocking unwanted calls— and report the ones you get at ftc.gov/complaint. We take the phone numbers you report and release them each business day to help telecommunications carriers and other industry partners that are working on call blocking solutions. Your complaints also help law enforcement identify the people behind illegal calls. For tips on blocking unwanted calls, go to ftc.gov/calls, where you'll find graphics you can share with your friends and followers.
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October 02, 2019
Why isn't there a code we can dial after receiving an unwanted telemarketing call that would automatically report all call information to the FTC. These calls could then go to a database with more information than consumers get on Caller ID and the FTC could more easily prioritize investigations and take appropriate actions to protect consumers from these onslaughts from scammers.
November 06, 2019
getting worse and worse - this article is from 2018.
November 18, 2019
sirs, thought that i was on the d not call list 931-879-5059 was the call that was a local number but a recording on the other line. Tell them to quite calling. Alton Gernt 931-879-2826 Thank you
December 09, 2019
It doesn't matter if you report them I have had 105 telemarketers call from 806 748-____ numbers since February and have listed them with the FTC and it didn't do any good so all you can do is get a phone with 300 blocker capacity and then maybe you'll get them to stop calling good luck it took me 10 months to stop them
January 17, 2020
I think telemarketers should have to pay the number they are calling $.50 per call. On the do not call list and still receive 12 to 19 calls a day. Four calls per day would pay my bill instead of me paying to be harassed. If it wasn’t so profitable for the telemarketers maybe there would not be so many. Same for scammers, plus with scammers they would have to have an account so the criminal activity would be traceable.
March 05, 2020
I am on the do not call registry but I continue to receive calls from area code 954 numbers daily. They leave no message but in checking the number it is a Medicare scam. How do I stop this?
May 25, 2020
I get calls from direct energy telemarketers 5 to 10 times a day wanting me to sign up with their energy program. I have tried telling them not to call, and they get nasty or hang up. I hung up on one, and he called me back, cussed me out, and said he would make sure I stayed on their call list. I run a business from home. It interferes with work. I have been on the "do not call list since 2003". It doesn't stop any of the calls. I get a ridiculous amount of scam calls in a day, even on holidays.
August 09, 2020
Signed up for DNC list and still get calls from same 2-3 companies need help
January 05, 2021
Why don't they go after these companies for extended warranties for you car when I have a warranty on my car. They call me 3 to 4 times a day I block the number and they call from a different number. I have told them I am not interested and to take me off their call list 3 times now and they say "ok sorry" and then hang up on you. It's so annoying. So are the prerecorded messages about lowering your interest rate on your credit cards!
February 18, 2021
When I receive such a call, I ask to be put on their do not call list. This solicitor said it would cost me $1.00 to do so. I've never heard of such a thing!
August 02, 2021
I have been getting scam calls from people claiming to be Health Care options or Health Care US, They continue to call my number about 10x per day. Someone used my number and the scammers hang up on me when I ask them to remove my number,