2017 Hit New Record for FTC Robocall Complaints

The Federal Trade Commission has received a record number of telemarketing complaints, including FTC robocall complaints —in total, more than seven million in 2017 alone.

Seven million telemarketing complaints in a single year is a new record, up by nearly two million from the previous year. The vast majority of these were FTC robocall complaints rather than calls from live representatives.

According to FTC robocall complaints, most of the robocalls made were regarding topics like debt reduction, vacation and timeshares, and warranty plans.

Major mobile carriers and tech companies like Google, Microsoft, and Apple agreed to create a task force to cut back on these kinds of calls back in 2016. Despite their efforts, the robocalls continue—and so do the FTC robocall complaints.

Many of these FTC robocall complaints are actually regarding what is called “neighborhood” caller idea spoofing. This means that the call is made from the same area code as the consumer to seem more trustworthy. Many others involve prerecorded messages. These kinds of robocalls can be made due to recent advancements in technology.

Some consumers may not know that robocalls are more than annoying—they may actually violate the Telephone Consumer Protection Act, which is meant to help prevent unwanted solicitation over the phone.

Background of the TCPA

The Telephone Consumer Protection Act, or TCPA, was introduced back in 1991. Over the years, the rules of the TCPA have shifted to include new technologies.

The TCPA focuses on the placement of unwanted solicitation calls, which involve the use of an auto dialer or pre-recorded messaging system to contact consumers, when they are made to consumers that have not given their explicit permission to be contacted. In more recent years, however, as technology has advanced, the TCPA has expanded to include text messaging on top of traditional robocalls.

Reporting FTC Robocall Complaints

Coming forward with FTC robocall complaints or filing a lawsuit can help force companies to comply with TCPA regulations. Reports of violations may also grant consumers award money per individual violation.

These kinds of TCPA violations are common enough that many consumers are used to it by now. Because of how regular a part of daily life robocalls have become, many consumers may not even know that these practices are illegal.

If you have received unwanted robocalls or prerecorded messages from a company without having given your prior express permission, or after placing your name on a federal Do Not Call telemarketer list, you may be able to report these violations, and even receive compensation.

If you have received autodialer calls or calls made with prerecorded messages without having first given permission, you may be able to report these violations and receive compensation per violation. The size of the damage award depends in part on whether the call was made in willful or knowing violation of the TCPA—and may reach up to $1,500 per call.

In order for your TCPA lawsuit to be most effective, you will need proof of these violations, so remember to keep messages and phone records of the robocalls placed to your phone.

Join a Free TCPA Class Action Lawsuit Investigation

If you were contacted on your cell phone by a company via an unsolicited text message (text spam) or prerecorded voice message (robocall), you may be eligible for compensation under the Telephone Consumer Protection Act.

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