telemarketing

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Firm Hit With Robocalls Suit: 'Americans Are Sick and Tired'

Attorneys general team up in complaint against Avid Telecom, accused of making 7.5B robocalls

(Newser) - Attorneys general across the US joined in a lawsuit against a telecommunications company accused of making more than 7.5 billion robocalls to people on the National Do Not Call Registry. The 141-page lawsuit was filed Tuesday in US District Court in Phoenix against Avid Telecom, owner Michael Lansky, and...

Major Carriers Pledge Action on Robocalls

Americans are getting nearly 5B of them a month

(Newser) - Major phone companies have pledged to do more to fight robocalls plaguing Americans, the country's state attorneys general say. It's the latest step from government and industry to combat the growing problem, the AP reports. Americans get nearly 5 billion automated calls from scammers, telemarketers, debt collectors, and...

Woman Turns Tables on Bizarro Telemarketer

Things take crazy turn when Jessica Gottlieb tells 'Mark' she's recording call

(Newser) - If you ever get a call from a telemarketer named Mark from Chatsworth, you should a) probably not tell him you're recording your conversation, and b) maybe just hang up altogether. Unless you want pure YouTube gold, which is what happened when Los Angeles blogger Jessica Gottlieb reveals to...

Why You're Still Plagued by Robocalls

And how to deal with them

(Newser) - Why do telemarketers keep pestering you, long after you signed up for the federal "Do Not Call" list? First of all, you're certainly not alone, Consumerist reports: "If this were a disease, it would be an epidemic," says a consumer advocate. The Federal Trade Commission gets...

Crafty Brit Cons Telemarketers Into Paying to Call Him

Man sets up pay line, makes hundreds off callers

(Newser) - Lee Beaumont was sick of telemarketers calling him, so he came up with a brilliant solution: He made them pay him for the privilege. The Leeds man signed up for an 0871-number (the British equivalent of a 900-number), and began giving that out to banks, utility companies, and other commercial...

FTC Hangs Up on 'Rachel' Robocalls

Agency gets court to stop calls from fictional worker in 'cardholder services'

(Newser) - Poor Rachel. The FTC is clamping down on five telemarketing firms it says placed illegal robocalls, often claiming to be from a woman named "Rachel" who had an "important message" about high interest rates on credit cards, reports the Chicago Tribune . Yesterday, a federal court ordered a temporary...

Complaints Surge Over Telemarketing

Illegal robocalls have customers fuming

(Newser) - Americans have had it up to here with telemarketers—particularly the robot variety. April saw 212,000 complaints about robocalls, up from just 65,000 in October 2010, the government says. Over the same span, complaints seeking a stop to telemarketers' calls rose from 71,000 to 182,000, the...

New Rules Should Cut Down on Robocalls

FCC clamps down on telemarketers again

(Newser) - Still getting robocalls or calls from telemarketers around dinner even though you diligently added your name to the do-not-call registry? The FCC issued new rules today intended to tighten up loopholes and put an end to the ringing, reports USA Today . Among them:
  • Telemarketers must get written permission before calling
...

How to Make $500 Off a Telemarketer
How to Make $500
Off a Telemarketer
in case you missed it
May 8, 2011 5:48 PM CDT

How to Make $500 Off a Telemarketer

Start by asking for a copy of company's 'do not call' policy

(Newser) - Looking for a little telemarketer revenge? The Consumerist has just the thing: It points out that telemarketing companies are required to send you a copy of their "do not call" policy upon request. If they fail to do so, you can sue for $500. The site also points to...

Web Vigilantes Take On Robo-callers

Online campaign targets companies

(Newser) - A group of techy activists tired of getting a stream of auto warranty robo-calls has turned the tables on one of the companies, the Wall Street Journal reports. "I thought, if you get a bunch of people together, you could blow up their voicemail boxes," says one frustrated...

Privacy Groups Want Online ‘Do Not Call’

‘Do Not Track’ would bar companies from targeting ads

(Newser) - Consumer and privacy advocates have proposed a voluntary online “Do Not Track” list that would bar companies from monitoring web traffic for the purpose of targeting ads. Modeled on the popular “Do Not Call” list, which blocks phone telemarketers, the new proposal wouldn’t outlaw ads altogether, the...

10 Businesses Not Long for This World

Say goodbye to retail categories overtaken by modern reality

(Newser) - New technology is changing the business landscape as once-profitable ventures like record stores and used book shops close their doors forever. Entrepreneur.com bets against 10 businesses that it says will be extinct by 2017:
  1. Record stores
  2. Camera film manufacturing
  3. Crop dusters

Ring, Ring, Ring: Do Not Call List Expires Soon

Numbers purge after five years, so for many it's time to re-register

(Newser) - If you're one of the millions who registered with the federal Do Not Call list in 2003, expect your phone to start ringing during dinner again soon, Time reports. That's because the FTC made the popular list good for only five years. After that, you have to re-up...

Hillary Tied to Shady Donor
Hillary Tied to Shady Donor
May 26, 2007 7:10 PM CDT

Hillary Tied to Shady Donor

Lawsuit againt CEO reveals ethically questionable contributions

(Newser) - The CEO of infoUSA, a large consumer information broker, has given Bill and Hillary Clinton almost $3 million over the past four years. But a recent legal dustup between Vinod Gupta and his company's shareholders over extravagant spending and political donations is revealing a relationship with the Clintons that, according...

14 Stories