FTC Resources for Reporters
Enforcement of the Do Not Call Registry
The FTC takes aggressive legal action to make sure telemarketers abide by the Do Not Call Registry. To date, the Commission has brought 78 enforcement actions against companies and telemarketers for Do Not Call, abandoned call, robocall and Registry violations. The DirectTV litigation produced the largest settlement for Do Not Call violations, resulting in civil penalty payments of more than $5.3 million. To date, 59 of these FTC enforcement actions have been resolved with final court orders that cumulatively require payment of over $40 million in civil penalties and $22 million in redress or disgorgement.
News Releases:
- FTC Actions Lead to Shutdown of Robocall Operation That Falsely Claimed to Help Consumers Get FTC Consumer Refunds – 12/3/2012
- FTC Settlement Bans Marketer from Timeshare Business, Telemarketing – 10/12/2012
- FTC Acts to Halt Medical Plan Scheme that Targeted Vulnerable Consumers – 10/10/2012
- FTC Cracks Down on Phony Mortgage Relief Schemes – 10/09/2012
- FTC Halts Massive Tech Support Scams – 10/03/2012
- FTC Action Halts Debt Relief Marketing Operation – 9/18/2012
- Consumers Asked DISH Network to Leave Them Alone, But FTC Says Calls Kept Coming – 08/23/2012
- FTC Updates Telemarketer Fees for the Do Not Call Registry as of October 1, 2012 – 12/16/2011
- FTC Sends Biennial Report to Congress on the National Do Not Call Registry – 12/16/2011
- Telemarketer to Pay $500,000 Civil Penalty for Thwarting Consumers' Requests to be Placed On Its Clients' Do Not Call Lists – 12/16/2011
- FTC Settlements Put Debt Relief Operations Out of Business – 5/26/2011
- In Comment to Federal Communications Commission, FTC Stresses that Sellers are Responsible for Calls Made by Outside Telemarketers – 5/16/2011
- FTC Charges Utah Operation with Deceptive and Abusive Telemarketing – 5/9/2011
- Maker of Rascal Scooters to Pay $100,000 for Violating FTC’s Do Not Call Rules – 4/21/2011
- Court Shutters Telemarketers Peddling Bogus Timeshare Resales – 3/31/2011
- FTC Sends Refund Claim Forms to Nearly 12,000 Victims of Auto Warranty Robocaller – 2/16/2011
- FTC Seeks Public Comments on Ways to Strengthen Caller ID Provisions of the Commission's Telemarketing Sales Rule – 12/7/2010
- Auto Warranty Robocaller To Pay $2.3 Million, Sell Mercedes For Consumer Redress – 8/23/2010
- 'Telefunder' to Pay $300,000 for Abandoning Millions of Telemarketing Calls to Potential Charity Donors – 6/30/2010
- At FTC's Request, Court Halts Massive Robocall Operation – 6/10/2010
Reports and Workshops:
- Robocalls: All the Rage (October 2012)
- Do Not Call Fee Extension Act Report
- Report on Do Not Call Registry Accuracy (2007)
Business Education:
- Do Not Call Enforcement Actions
- General Information for Business
- Complying with the Telemarketing Sales Rule
Congressional Testimony:
Consumer Education:
- Filing a Complaint
- The FTC’s Telemarketing Sales Rule
- The Truth About Cell Phones and the DNC Registry
- Q&A: The National Do Not Call Registry
- Avoiding Do Not Call Scams
