Ever been bothered by obnoxious telemarketing calls? (I don’t know how it happens, but it seems like telemarketers have a sixth sense for knowing when you’ve sat down for family dinner!)
Now’s your chance to act:
The Federal Trade Commission (FTC) introduced the Telemarketing Sales Rule (TSR) in 1995 to prevent abusive telemarketing practices. As the TSR’s 20th anniversary approaches, the FTC is asking for your input.
Tell the FTC to preserve the TSR, and demand the following:
Strengthen Do Not Call Registry.
The Do Not Call Registry—which prohibits companies from calling consumers who sign up for it—can be improved. The TSR should require telemarketers to record their calls so the FTC can better monitor violations and protect consumers.
Protect customer account info.
Did you know that if you buy something from telemarketers, they can pass your account info onto third parties? That means you could get tricked into buying third-party products you thought were free. The FTC should ban third-party use of “pre-acquired” account info without your consent.
Provide same protections for inbound AND outbound calls.
The TSR does not protect a customer who responds to an ad and calls a telemarketer. For example, telemarketers who call us are prohibited from using “negative options”—when your silence or failure to reject an offer is interpreted as accepting it. But telemarketers can use such schemes on customers who pick up the phone and call them.
Send a message to the FTC now!
