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FTC Targets Massive Car Warranty Robocall Scheme
coondoggie writes "Robocalls are a scourge, and the Federal Trade Commission today took action against one outfit by asking a federal court to shut down companies that have been bombarding consumers with hundreds of millions of allegedly deceptive robocalls in an effort to sell vehicle service contracts. According to the FTC, the robocalls have prompted tens of thousands of complaints from consumers who are either on the Do Not Call Registry or asked not to be called. Five telephone numbers associated with the defendants have generated a total of 30,000 Do Not Call complaints. Consumers received the robocalls at home, work, and on their cell phones, sometimes several times in one day. Businesses, government offices and even 911 dispatchers also have been subjected to the calls, the FTC said."
Reader powerlord points out that another such company, not named in the FTC filing, raised the ire of thousands of internet-goers, who struck back by rickrolling the company's voice mail and digging up personal information on the company's president.
How about making it so all telemarketers have to register a certain caller ID that say would be (C)*insert name of company here*, then it would be trivial to block all corporate calls. Thus making it easy to have a caller ID filter to purchase to block all telemarketer calls. This would be a lot easier than the do not call list, more effective and wouldn't censor anyone.
Taxation is legalized theft, no more, no less.
For a few months, I had the vehicle warranty scammers calling me on my PREPAID mobile phone. That's actually abated somewhat. Funny, because I don't live in the US much and I don't own a car.
Now, I think the same group is calling with health insurance. Repeatedly.
Oh, I've had a few calls from random "IT support" tell me that they're calling me about my recent computer problems.
Someone needs to nail these guys to the wall.
A newly-registered corporation with a very similar name comes along and uses the same offices/machines/employees to carry on the work...?
No sig today...
I always take the call. Listen politely and tell them that yes, I do want to extend my car's warranty. They ask for my VIN and I say I have to go outside to get it.
Then I put the call on hold and get back to work. They actually often call back and I take the call, telling them that I'm still looking for my registration.
Then I put the call on hold and get back to work.
You don't want to be abusive to the person making the call. I have a friend who had no other job options and worked for firms like that. Often these people are either just trying to make ends meet, or just need a mindless job so they can concentrate on college. (My friend later went on to get his PhD.)
By doing this they person making the call can't even get in trouble, you are doing exactly what they are asking you to do, and clearly that can take a 1 minute or two. But this does cost the company money.
I used to hate people like you.
I'm pretty sure that's the idea, yes.
Sucks to you. But hey, you have to expect that sort of thing when you take a job you know is immoral and unethical.
This is why I just cancelled my land line.
Verizon has made money for years played the middle man in the arms race against invasive calls. They sell my name/number, then try to sell me *69, then sell them blocking, then try to sell me....
Nuts to them.
...and have to give negative reports because of their inability to do their job because of morons who couldn't simply ask to be removed.
Poor baby. How's this for a negative report: you'll just put my name on a list for the next shell company and call me back. You've earned everyone's ire.
Most of the stuff on
I'm in favor of the death penalty for making even ONE telemarketing call. Kill a few of them and maybe the others will get the message.
Yes, this is a serious proposal. Anybody else with me?
Won't happen. Rather, we'll continue to have healthcare run by insurance companies, the only difference being that government will force everyone who pay taxes to cover the cost of covering everyone else. The result, massive government enforced subsidization of private enterprise, with trillions funneled into the pockets of politicians and insurance middlemen.
What changed under Obama? Nothing Good
The fact that you call and harass me without my consent with no valid business reason. Because you harrass me at work when I am trying to do my job, because you waste my money for calling me and making me use up cell phone minutes waiting for your stupid rep to put me on your do not call list that I'd say a good 50% of your industry ignore or try to circumvent anyway.
I don't NEED you to tell me what I want or need. If I need or want your product I will seek YOU out not the other way around if I have not contacted you before then leave me the frack alone!
In reference to my previous post if you don't understand this and choose to work in that industry then you deserve what you get.
Every aspect of it that involves bothering vast numbers of people on their private time in their private space using services that they pay for and normally use for family conversations, work and emergencies.
Or the general attitude the industry shows towards the worth of time of the people they pester, such as by using machines to call five people and hang up on four of them so that telemarketers don't have to waste their time waiting for people to answer.
Did anyone notice that this didn't become an issue for the FCC until a senator bitched?
Apparently he (?) got quite a few of these calls at home too, and alerted someone at the FCC about it. It wasn't until then that FCC took action.
-David
The phone company should care, but does not. They get paid per usage and they simply do not care what the usage is.
All the circuits are theirs - they know who every single line belongs to. They sure don't miss a beat when it's time to send out the bills, do they? This number made these calls, and here's your bill. They have this information in their database - it's necessary for billing. They're great at that part, aren't they?
But they'll turn a blind eye when someone dials out from 111-222-3333 claiming to be 333-222-1111. No problems there sir, just so long as you pay your bill. Fucking jerks.
The only reason someone would spoof their caller id is if they are up to no good. These fucking robodialers do exactly that because they know they're annoying people. They know it, or they'd be more up front about what they're doing. Listening to that smarmy asshole at Auto One trying to justify his business practices is disgusting. If you're so on the up-and-up, Mr. Tabb, then quit spoofing your outbound number, you jackass.
And the phone company is their direct accomplice.
Not difficult at all to have their system screen out spoofed calls:
if(outbound_number!=customer_number)
{
disconnect_line();
play(busy_tone);
}
There you go, I won't even charge a consulting fee.
Now go do it, phone companies.
Weaselmancer
rediculous.
The post you are responding to never accused you of cold calling.
You need to understand that warm calling is so close to indistinguishable from cold calling that nobody really cares about the difference except for people like you who need a way to rationalize their actions and thus think it makes all the difference in the world.
Just look online for all the people bitching about Omaha Steaks - you buy one thing from them and they are all over you. Someone sends you a gift through them and if the sender was stupid enough to give them your phone number, they are all over you too.
Still don't believe me? Just consider how miserable your life would be if every single merchant you've ever done business with started warm-calling you. Repeatedly. You would have no time left for your own life.
When information is power, privacy is freedom.