Earlier this year, we told you how the American Bankers Association was seeking exemptions from the FCC that would allow banks to get around a law that forbids businesses from robocalling cellphones without prior approval. Today, 60,000 consumers are telling the FCC to just say now to the banks’ request. [More]
robocalls
Demand That Phone Companies Give Consumers Free Tools To Block Robocalls
By 2.17.15
While federal regulations and the Do Not Call list have significantly cut down on some auto-dialed, prerecorded messages, the problem of illegal robocalls still persists, mostly because scammers don’t care if they break the law. There are various technologies that phone companies could use to preempt even more of these calls but most consumers don’t have access to them. [More]
FTC: Totally Fine By Us If Phone Companies Block Robocalling Numbers
By 1.27.15
Robocalls suck. Everyone hates them. And yet despite decades of trying to deal with autodialers and phone spam, they’re still a big problem. The FCC wants to know if phone companies can block them getting to you. Phone companies say too bad, so sad, the rules mean we can’t block them… but the FTC now disagrees. [More]
Banks Want To Robocall You When It’s Important, But Not Important Enough To Speak To A Human
By 1.8.15
Under the Telephone Consumer Protection Act, companies can’t robocall you on your cellphone unless you’ve given them prior consent to contact you at that number. Now the banking industry is trying to gain exemptions for this rule, claiming there are times when they just need to call your cellphone even though the need isn’t urgent enough to have an actual human make that call. They also don’t want to be penalized for robocalling the wrong number. [More]
Bank Of America’s Laughable Defense For 5 Years Of Unwanted Robocalls
By 12.11.14
Earlier today, we told you about a $1 million judgement against Bank of America for making five years of unwanted robocalls to a couple who sent the bank multiple cease and desist demands. Since then, BofA has reached out to Consumerist with an explanation that is too funny to just post as an update within that story. [More]
Bank Of America Must Pay Family $1 Million For 5 Years Of Unwanted Robocalls
By 12.11.14
If you’ve got a problem paying your mortgage, the bank is allowed to call you about collecting that debt. But after you’ve repeatedly told the bank — verbally and in writing — to stop robocalling your cellphone, it should do so. And if a recent ruling by a federal court in Florida holds up, Bank of America will have to fork over more than $1 million to a couple who say the bank spent five years ignoring their demands for the calls to cease. [More]
FTC Fines Company $10M For Achieving A Trifecta Of Annoyance: Mobile Cramming, Spam Texts And Robocalls
By 10.22.14
There are few things worse than getting incessant robocalls. Unless you’re getting robocalls, spam text messages and being charged for mobile cramming. The Federal Trade Commission says all of those horrible, terrible, no-good, very-bad elements were part of a massive scam affecting millions of consumers. And now the companies in charge of the alleged scam are paying a hefty penalty: $10 million. [More]
Kohl’s Shopper Sues Store For Bugging Her About $20 Debt
By 6.19.14
While most of the complaints we hear about debt collection involve consumers who don’t owe the money they are being hassled to pay. But what often goes undiscussed is the fact that the anti-harassment rules still apply to collectors regardless of whether or not they are trying to collect a bona fide debt. [More]
Robocaller Fined $2.94M For Ignoring Warning To Not Call Cellphones Without Permission
By 5.9.14
When the FCC lets you off the hook with a warning after allegedly making 4.7 million illegal automated, recorded calls to cellphones, your best bet is to heed that warning or get out of the business. One company didn’t do either of these things and is now being fined $2.94 million. [More]
Discover Settles Lawsuit Over Unsolicited, Prerecorded Phone Calls For $8.7 Million
By 4.8.14
Because no one loves getting a robocall from a credit card company without first signing up for such a phone call — and let’s face it, who would sign up for that on purpose? — a court has settled a class-action lawsuit against Discover Financial Services for auto-dialing people who definitely didn’t want to be called. [More]
Arrest Warrant Issued For “Cash Grant Institute” Scammer Who Failed To Pay $20 Million Penalty
By 2.20.14
Nearly two years after the FTC hit the scammy robocallers at the “Cash Grant Institute” with a record $30 million penalty for violating federal Do Not Call regulations a few million times, a judge has issued an arrest warrant for one of the scheme’s operators after he failed to repay the lion’s share of what he’d agreed to hand over. [More]
Man Sues Wells Fargo Over Robocalls Intended For Other Person
By 2.11.14
It’s bad enough to get endless collections call from your mortgage servicer over missed loan payments, but it’s next-level annoying when you’re not even a customer of the bank that won’t stop calling your phone day and night. [More]
Medical Alert Device Robocalls Scammed $13 Million From Elderly
By 1.13.14
Unwanted robocalls are bad enough. But there’s a special place (not a good place, either) for companies that use robocalls to scam the elderly out of their savings. One Orlando-based operation, accused of scamming $13 million from senior citizens, now has a confirmed reservation in that special place. [More]
It’s Actually Kind Of Heartbreaking To Hear Robot Telemarketer Insist She’s A Real Person
By 12.11.13
We’ve arrived at a whole new level of robocalling, and this time the robots don’t want us to know they’re robots. Did you just get a shiver down your spine, too? Shiver jinx! This particular telemarketer for a company hawking health insurance has her own name and a tinkle of laughter to go along with her denial of actually being a robot. [More]
Robocallers Impersonate Teachers On Caller ID, Scare Parents
By 10.4.13
If you were a parent of school-age children and saw “TEACHERS PHONE” come up on your landline caller ID, wouldn’t you pick up the phone? If your kid’s teacher is calling you up, something must be very wrong. When they pick up the phone? A prerecorded sales pitch for “Card Services,” a classic robocall. [More]
Bank Of America To Pay $32 Million Over Robocall Allegations
By 10.3.13
Two of our favorites kinds of stories — big bank badness and robocalling — all wrapped into one breakfast burrito. Earlier this week, Bank of America reached a $32 million deal to settle complaints, filed on behalf of 7.7 million customers, that BofA repeatedly violated federal regulations by robocalling consumers’ mobile phones without permission. [More]
Please Don’t Press Any Buttons When You Get A Scammy Robocall
By 8.27.13 — Updated: 5.23.17
We regularly receive complaints from readers who receive robocalls even though their numbers are on the Do Not Call List or they pressed “2” to have their numbers removed. The fact is that these robocallers simply don’t care about the law or whether you want to hear from them. [More]
UPS Robocalls Me 74 Times About The Same Package
By 7.15.13
Subscribing to UPS MyChoice means that you have more control over your packages and get some extra attention from UPS, but this isn’t what Eric had in mind. Over the weekend, something went terribly wrong with the company’s systems, and UPS began to robocall him about the package he’ll be receiving this week. Seventy-four times since the beginning of Sunday. [More]
