should verify the contents of the documents against a final, official In Montgomery County, Maryland, the consumer protection office recently won a settlement against a super PAC called Heroes United, run by Zachary Bass of Baltimore. A spokesperson for Georgia Attorney General Chris Carr, the chairman of the Republican Attorneys General Association, said he had no knowledge or involvement in this decision., Attorney General Carr has been working diligently to determine how this situation occurred and ensure that it does not happen again, said spokesperson Katie Byrd. Once submitted, the Bureau will review to determine whether the information presents evidence of a violation of our rules. At 1 p.m., we will march to the Capitol building and call on Congress to stop the steal, said the voice on the recording, which was obtained by NBC News. Those who responded denied their marketing was deceptive and defended their business model and compensation. Add 64.1606 to subpart P to read as follows: (a) Any private entity may submit to the Enforcement Bureau information related to a call or text message that the private entity has reason to believe included misleading or inaccurate caller identification information in violation of 64.1604(a) or 47 U.S.C. The TRACED Act directs the Commission no later than June 30, 2021 to prescribe regulations to establish a process that streamlines the ways in which a private entity may voluntarily share with the Commission information relating to violations of section 227(b) or 227(e) of the Communications Act. They often are set up as super PACs, groups which in recent years have been empowered by the courts to raise and spend money in unlimited amounts, with little regulation. Lina M. Khan was sworn in as Chair of the Federal Trade Commission on June 15, 2021. 47 U.S.C. It was viewed 36 times while on Public Inspection. 22. Find legal resources and guidance to understand your business responsibilities and comply with the law. We could no longer say, We are helping police officers get body armor, but we could say, We are supporting efforts to get them body armor, said Jackie Armstrong, 32, a former Politicause employee. Some telemarketers who claim to be raising money for causes like homeless veterans and cancer victims work for political action committees (PACs), not charities, and keep much of the money they raise. by the Foreign Assets Control Office 21. headings within the legal text of Federal Register documents. or call the FCC's Consumer and Governmental Affairs Bureau at (202) 418-0530 (voice), (202) 418-0432 (TTY). An arm of the Republican Attorneys General Association, a national group representing the top law enforcement officers in their states, sent out robocalls encouraging people to march to the U.S. Capitol the day before the building was stormed by a pro-Trump mob. OMB, the general public, and other Federal agencies will be invited to comment on the new or modified information collection requirements contained in this proceeding. The purpose of the portal is to provide private entities a streamlined method to submit information to the Bureau about suspected robocall or spoofing violations. 03/03/2023, 234 Laura Strickler is a senior investigative producer and reporter for NBC News. documents in the last year, 86 The rules we adopt today create a streamlined process by which a private entity may submit information about suspected robocall and spoofing violations directly to the Bureau via an online portal located on the FCC website. shall send that parts 0 and 64 of the Commission's rules the Federal Register. developer tools pages. They said it was not uncommon to find needles in the bathroom or a caller passed out at his desk. The committees treasurer, attorney Chris Marston, told Reuters the purpose of the PAC was to raise money in support of candidates who would help police and firefighters., Im sure the [call] scripts didnt misrepresent anything, Marston said. Appendix A, These markup elements allow the user to see how the document follows the The workers said Politicause managers eventually reined in that practice, requiring them to instead say that at least 10% went to the cause. Stephanie T. Nguyen, Chief Technology Officer, Competition and Consumer Protection Guidance Documents, HSR threshold adjustments and reportability for 2023, A Century of Technological Evolution at the Federal Trade Commission, National Consumer Protection Week 2023 Begins Sunday, March 5, FTC at the 65th Annual Heard Museum Guild Indian Fair & Market - NCPW 2023, Jason Cardiff (Redwood Scientific Technologies, Inc.), Telemarketer Fees to Access the FTCs National Do Not Call Registry to Increase in 2023, FTC Extends its Crackdown on Subscription Scam That Fleeced Consumers and Harassed Them Over the Phone, Federal Trade Commission Proposes Small Business Protections Against Telemarketing Tricks and Traps, FTC Takes Action to Stop Voice over Internet Provider from Facilitating Illegal Telemarketing Robocalls, Including Scams Relating to the Pandemic, Federal Court Rules in Favor of FTC, Halting Illegal Tactics Used to Promote Smoking Cessation, Weight-Loss, and Sexual-Performance Aids, FTC Issues Biennial Report to Congress on the National Do Not Call Registry, FTC Issues Refunds Totaling More Than $1.8 Million to Consumers Defrauded by Lifewatch, Inc.s Deceptive Medical Alert Telemarketing Scheme, FTC Releases 2021 Do Not Call Registry Data Book; Reports Registrations and Consumer Complaints Both Increased in FY 2021, FTC to Ramp up Enforcement against Illegal Dark Patterns that Trick or Trap Consumers into Subscriptions, FTC Returns $1.1 Million to Consumers Who Lost Money to Alleged Scammers Selling Bogus Income Opportunities, FTC Testifies before the Senate Special Committee on Aging About the Agencys Work to Halt Practices that Prey on Older Americans, Seven Remaining Defendants in Massive Grand Bahama Cruise Line Operation Banned from Making Telemarketing Robocalls; Principals will Pay $100,000 in Civil Penalties, Telemarketer Fees to Access the FTCs National Do Not Call Registry to Increase in 2022, FTC Takes Action against Septic Tank Cleaning Company that Made Millions of Illegal Robocalls to Consumers Nationwide, FTC, 38 States, and D.C. Act to Shut Down Massive Charity Fraud Telefunding Operation, Scammers Who Used Robocalls to Target Cash-Strapped Consumers Banned from Selling Debt Relief Services and Telemarketing, FTC and FCC Send Joint Letters to Additional VoIP Providers Warning against Routing and Transmitting Illegal Coronavirus-related Robocalls, FTC and FCC Send Joint Letters to VoIP Service Providers Warning against Routing and Transmitting Illegal Coronavirus-related Robocalls, FTC Warns Nine VoIP Service Providers and Other Companies against Assisting and Facilitating Illegal Coronavirus-related Telemarketing Calls, FTC Warns 19 VoIP Service Providers That Assisting and Facilitating Illegal Telemarketing or Robocalling Is Against the Law, 4 reasons why the latest FTC robocall cases should matter to your business, FTC goes to court to unravel robocalling net, FTC challenges robocallers false threat that small businesses will be removed from Google, Decision bolsters FTC position on soundboard tech, Working Together to Protect Midwest Consumers: A Common Ground Conference, Common Ground: Fighting Schemes and Scams in a Tough Economy, North Carolina Consumer Protection Workshop, Midwest Region 2012 Common Ground Conference, Statement of Andrew Smith, Director, Bureau of Consumer Protection, at Operation Call It Quits Press Conference, Prepared Remarks of Chairman Joseph Simons at USTelecom Forum: Turning the Tide on Illegal Robocalls, Prepared Remarks of Chairman Joseph Simons at the ABA Consumer Protection Conference, Statement Of Commissioner Rebecca Kelly Slaughter before the Committee on Energy and Commerce Subcommittee on Digital Commerce and Consumer Protection, U.S. House of Representatives, Prepared Statement of the Federal Trade Commission: Abusive Robocalls and How We Can Stop Them, Before the Committee on Commerce, Science and Transportation, United States Senate, FTC-FCC Joint Policy Forum on Fighting the Scourge of Illegal Robocalls, Prepared Statement of the Federal Trade Commission: "Still Ringing Off the Hook: An Update on Efforts To Combat Robocalls," Before the Special Committee on Aging, United States Senate, Prepared Statement of the Federal Trade Commission On Combatting Illegal Robocalls: Initiatives To End the Epidemic, Blog Post: Do Not Robocall Me: The FTC Strikes Back, Prepared Statement of the Federal Trade Commission Entitled Stopping Fraudulent Robocall Scams: Can More Be Done?, Concurring Statement of Commissioner Maureen K. Ohlhausen, Avoid Coronavirus Scams - Tip 1: Hang Up on Robocalls, Robocall Challenge Winners Press Conference, FTC Robocall Challenge: Consumer Tips & Tricks. Many companies that donated to the Republican Attorneys General Association also gave to the Democratic Party equivalent. This robocall tip line will provide a streamlined process for reporting potential violations, and will enable the Enforcement Bureau to respond quickly to disruptive robocalling events. If you are using public inspection listings for legal research, you Document page views are updated periodically throughout the day and are cumulative counts for this document. In a small Alabama town at the edge of the Talladega National Forest, next to a Chinese restaurant, stands a shop with mirrored windows and no signs. Robocallers have apparently been using the name of a former Abilene City Councilman/Abilene businessman to try to entice people to give to a fake police charity. We do not support any similar activities now, and will not in the future., A Microsoft spokesperson said: We condemn the actions taken by the RLDF and are raising our concerns directly with RAGA. No Republican AG authorized the staffs decision to amplify a colleague speaking at the event. The President of the United States manages the operations of the Executive branch of Government through Executive orders. Good evening this is Mike Stevens calling for the Committee for police officers defense this calls recorded for quality assurance Ok Hello hello. That goal is to help police officers fight against the continuing "War on Cops" by taking a varied political stance against politicians, activist judges, prosecutors, district attorneys and a host of others who try to bring . informational resource until the Administrative Committee of the Federal In fact, scam PAC operators and fundraisers are often old hands of the charity world, with a history of run-ins with regulators, state and federal records show. The "Committee for Police Officer's Defense" (CPOD) was configured to help police officers fight against the continuing "War on Cops" by taking a varied political stance against politicians, activist judges, prosecutors, district attorneys and a host of others who try to bring police officers down by any means. 727-351-8757 "Committee for Police Officer Defense" illegal-telemarketing, likely a SCAM- this guy will call you daily, weekends, nights too, over and over from ever changing different numbers & using different fund names. would create consumer confusion and duplicate existing Commission robocall information collection efforts. For example, in two enforcement actions, a medical paging company was a key source; it informed the Bureau that the paging company's phone lines were being bombarded by spoofed robocalls. What a racket, oh my God., On his website, Zeitlin said his firms revenue which he described as 80% to 90% of the proceeds may seem high but actually is standard for the industry and is needed to offset high costs for technology and intensive time-consuming labor.. We agree with commenters that including individuals within the definition of private entity would undermine the intent of the statute to streamline information collection about robocalls and spoofed calls, and would create confusion for consumers about whether to use the existing informal complaint process or the new portal, or both. My job is to deliver a message, and try as best as I can to make sure Im not working for a scumbag, he said. Furthermore, we agree with commenters that the Bureau should protect the confidentiality of information submitted through the portal, especially because the data may include personally identifiable information or customer proprietary network information. The fundraiser paid $11.6 million by PACs, including Bass operations, since 2017 listed an address in FEC documents that was a mail drop business in Washington D.C.Contract information subpoenaed by investigators and seen by Reuters ties Market Process Group to firms controlled by Mark Gelvan, a New Jersey-based fundraiser.Included were a phone number used by another Gelvan firm, Outreach Calling, an address used by his operation in Montville, New Jersey, and an email linked to another Gelvan company. For complete information about, and access to, our official publications This prototype edition of the On September 1, 2009, new FTC rules went into effect prohibiting most prerecorded telemarketing calls, commonly known as robocalls . Reached for comment, the Chamber of Commerce provided a statement from Harold Kim, president of the U.S. Chamber Institute for Legal Reform. documents in the last year, by the Executive Office of the President BIRMINGHAM, Alabama From unmarked strip-mall offices in small-town Alabama, the calls go out across the United States, meant to talk people into giving money for heart-tugging causes like helping breast cancer patients or the widows of fallen police officers. Bass, who set up several other super PACs, declined to comment. Interviews and records indicate managers at both firms once worked at a Zeitlin company called Courtesy Call. after OMB completes its review, and directs the Enforcement Bureau to cause 64.1204 and 64.1606 to be revised accordingly. Braille, large print, electronic files, audio format, etc.) A JPMorgan spokesperson said its political action committee donated $25,000 to the attorneys general group and none of it went to the Rule of Law Defense Fund. ) on December 8, 2020, proposing to establish a streamlined process for private entities to submit information about robocall violations to the Commission. documents in the last year, 853 Reporters visited the center last summer, though it has since closed. As a fundraiser for charities, Zeitlin ran into trouble with regulators. Federal government websites often end in .gov or .mil. Melaleuca, an online wellness shopping club, gave $290,000 to the Republican Attorneys General Association in 2020. The stance of the protestors was not consistent with Attorney General Carrs position on election fraud. The calls always seem to come when you least expect it. 8. This Report and Order establishes a streamlined process for private entities to submit information about unlawful, unwanted calls. As required by the Regulatory Flexibility Act of 1980, as amended (RFA), the Commission has prepared a Final Regulatory Flexibility Analysis (FRFA) relating to this Report and Order. L. 115-141, Div. Private entity submissions of spoofing violations. ". First, we find that there is value in maintaining the separate informal consumer complaint process. In return for tax-exempt status, charities generally must register with states, disclose their key employees and account for how the money is spent in some cases by providing audited financial statements. The site has since been taken down. Through interviews with the former callers and donors, reviews of call scripts and visits to threecall centers in Alabama, Reuters has obtained rare access into the world of these for-profit fundraisers, a tiny but lucrative niche of the multi-billion-dollar U.S. telemarketing industry. Use the PDF linked in the document sidebar for the official electronic format. We were good at slick-talking these people, one former caller, a felon, said of unwitting donors. Commenters raise concerns that the new streamlined portal will create consumer confusion or duplicate current processes. Federal Do Not Call rules do not apply to political or nonprofit fundraising. Baker said he founded Salt Lake City fundraising firm American Public Resource because he hoped to support worthy goals like helping veterans.The firm was paid nearly $3 million from 2017 through mid-2019 for its work raising money for PACS that spent anywhere from 0% to 7% on their promoted causes. Weintraub and a fellow Democratic commissioner wrote a memo to that effect in 2016. In recent years, some telemarketers have used technology to bombard consumers with hundreds of millions of prerecorded calls that are often unwanted and frequently deceptive. In interviews, a dozen former employees of Politicause and Zeitlins TPFE described techniques they used to wrangle donations, leaving contributors with the impression they were giving to good causes. No Impact on Informal Consumer Complaint Process. a phone number), the caller ID information displayed, the phone number(s) called, the date(s) and time(s) of the relevant calls or texts, the name of the reporting private entity's service provider, and a description of the problematic calls or texts. And, as he has been saying since moments after seeing news break, the violence and destruction we saw at the U.S. Capitol is unacceptable and un-American.. I dont think you understand how hard it is to fundraise, said Forrest Sandusky Baker IV, a telemarketing professional. For further information, contact Daniel Stepanicich, Attorney, Telecommunications Consumers Division, Enforcement Bureau, at (202) 418-7451 or 17. Its supporters also include interest groups such as the NRA and the U.S. Chamber of Commerce, which was its top donor in 2020 with a $750,000 contribution. IE 11 is not supported. Baker said his employees never try to dupe donors and that he cant control what his clients, the PACs, do with the money he raises. Delegated Authority. 4. This definition is consistent with common usage. on I had breast cancer, so they knew how to get me, she said. The fundraisers later went to work for PACs under the names Politicause and Pledge Assistance, both registered in Wyoming, which requires little disclosure from corporations. edition of the Federal Register. 26. The President of the United States issues other types of documents, including but not limited to; memoranda, notices, determinations, letters, messages, and orders. 801(a)(1)(A). 804(2). This site displays a prototype of a Web 2.0 version of the daily The "Committee for Police Officer's Defense" (CPOD) was configured to help police officers fight against the continuing "War on Cops" by taking a varied political stance against politicians, activist judges, prosecutors, district attorneys and a host of others who try to bring police officers down by any means. Cherokee Nation Businesses does not condone these actions and strongly condemns the insurrectionists and all those who instigated the disruption of the federal government through their words and actions.. Its infuriating, said Angelides, who learned from Reuters that it was a PAC that got his money. While every effort has been made to ensure that (c) Compliance dateparagraph (a) of this section contains a voluntary information collection. We are committed to protecting and defending law enforcement against progressive politicians, judges, and other officials that encourage the war on cops. 154(i), 154(j), and 227, and section 10(a) of the Pallone-Thune Telephone Robocall Abuse Criminal Enforcement and Deterrence Act, Public Law 116-105, 133 Stat. In such cases, the Enforcement Bureau will forward such consumer complaints to the Consumer and Governmental Affairs Bureau. Bass set up five super PACs allegedly dedicated to a range of causes including veterans and firefighters. https://ecfsapi.fcc.gov/file/06171386503472/FCC-21-75A3.pdf. When asked by potential donors how much of the money would go to the cause they were touting, telemarketers said they suggested it was the vast majority. documents in the last year, by the Coast Guard that agencies use to create their documents. Organizationally and individually, we strongly condemn and disavow the events which occurred., One of its members, Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton, attended the rally and spoke to the crowd, saying, We will not quit fighting., Following the Capitol invasion, he tweeted, I am sorely disappointed today in the certification of the election, but I dont believe violence is the answer.. NPRM, Document Drafting Handbook Better Business Bureau (BBB) advises area residents to be cautious of phone calls or mailers soliciting donations to the National Police Support Fund, an organization that describes itself as a. Sections 64.1204(a) and 64.1606(a) contain new or modified information collection requirements that require review by OMB under the PRA. The PACs examined for this article typically handed over less than 10% of their take sometimes less than 1% to candidates or causes, Reuters found. Generally, those in the informal network portrayed themselves as charitable, gave little to the causes they promoted and relied principally on small donors. These so-called scam PACs and their fundraisers exploit the gray zone between U.S. election finance and state charity fundraising laws, regulators told Reuters. But she said the panel has been paralyzed by partisan divisions and, more recently, a lack of a quorum. establishing the XML-based Federal Register as an ACFR-sanctioned Thus, we have minimized the impact on small businesses. 3. Police Officers' Defense Coalition and Committee for Police Officers' Defense is committed to cleaning up the annals of justice by flushing out those who pretend to represent the people, but instead manipulate the system and the prosecute police officers as a stepping stone to their next higher political office. The otherwise bland office was decorated with posters from the film Glengarry Glen Ross, a tale of ruthless telemarketer salesmen set in a real-estate boiler room. Start Printed Page 52843 It is further ordered 5. These workers were a convenient labor pool and skilled at getting people to open their wallets, former callers said. regulatory information on FederalRegister.gov with the objective of Timely and thorough information from private entities is crucial to enable the Commission to mitigate illegal robocall incidents and bring swift enforcement actions. 25. Pitches at Politicause and TPFE were adapted to avoid allegations of fraud, former callers said, noting that the conversations were occasionally monitored by company compliance officers. Zeitlin, whose operations also have been examinedby the Center for Public Integrity and other media outlets, said on his website that hes never been accused, indicted, tried or convicted of anything.. documents in the last year, 513 To the extent allowed by the Privacy Act of 1974 and our rules, the portal will clearly state that the Bureau may share submitted information with the Department of Justice, Federal Trade Commission, other federal agencies combatting robocalls, state attorney general offices, other law enforcement entities with which the Commission has information sharing agreements, and the registered traceback consortium. Use of the portal is completely voluntary and we impose no new requirements on small businesses. on FederalRegister.gov James Dellinger, 34, said he and other callers got in the door with a remarkable qualification they were in jail. and services, go to the official SGML-based PDF version on govinfo.gov, those relying on it for (Super PACs are a type of political action committee that faces no limits on spending or contributions, by virtue of court decisions a decade ago.). Jessica Blanchard, 23, who worked at Politicause in 2018, said many callers either were addicts from halfway houses or jail inmates on work release. Starting with a group of eight fundraising operations that earned at least a half-million dollars each during this period, Reuters traced interconnections among them and 31 PACs. . or call the Consumer and Governmental Affairs Bureau at 202-418-0530 (voice). Lisa Cavazuti is an investigative reporter for the NBC News Investigative Unit. accessible format documents, sign language interpreters, CART, etc. The company later was renamed Politicause. Contact Information P.O. We had no knowledge of RAGAs association with the Rule of Law fund or any connection in the January 6 insurrectionists storm on the U.S. Capitol, spokesperson Brandon Scott said in a statement. on NARA's archives.gov. a copy of this Report and Order Rulemaking, including the Final Regulatory Flexibility Analysis, to the Chief Counsel for Advocacy of the Small Business Administration. It is a way for them to get around the charity laws thats exactly what theyre doing, said Stuart Discount, chief executive of the Professional Association for Customer Engagement, a trade association for direct marketers. of the issuing agency. has no substantive legal effect. Blue / Bloomberg via Getty Images. The FRFA is set forth in Appendix C. 18. In this document, we have created a new online portal located on the Commission website where private entities, including small businesses, may submit information about robocall or spoofing violations. The Bureau will review information submitted through the portal to assess violations of the rules in the same manner that it reviews information submitted to the Commission through other means. 2021-14711 Filed 9-22-21; 8:45 am], updated on 4:15 PM on Friday, March 3, 2023, updated on 8:45 AM on Friday, March 3, 2023, 105 documents Congress did not define private entity in the TRACED Act. On September 1, 2009, new FTC rules went into effect prohibiting most prerecorded telemarketing calls, commonly known as robocalls, unless the telemarketer has the consumers prior written authorization to transmit such calls. To protect law enforcement methods and techniques, we decline to adopt SAFE Credit Union's suggestion to detail the exact steps and criteria that the Bureau will use to evaluate the information submitted. Congress adopted the requirement to create a streamlined process to collect information about robocalls and spoofing against the backdrop of the existing informal consumer complaint process. Good evening this is Mike Stevens calling for the . a copy of this Report and Order Rulemaking, including the Final Regulatory Flexibility Analysis, in a report to Congress and the Government Accountability Office pursuant to the Congressional Review Act, see 5 U.S.C. If an individual consumer mistakenly files a complaint with the new portal, the Bureau will forward the complaint to the Consumer and Governmental Affairs Bureau. We work to advance government policies that protect consumers and promote competition. Pepsi and the NRA did not respond to requests for comment. We find that our decision to exclude individual consumers from the definition of private entity will greatly reduce, if not eliminate, potential confusion. We adopt rules to establish an online web portal where private entities may submit information about suspected violations of sections 227(b) and 227(e). Listen; Transcript I'm glad you picked up I'll get my answer machine voice ready. The documents posted on this site are XML renditions of published Federal Spot the latest COVID scams, get compliance guidance, and stay up to date on FTC actions during the pandemic. The Consumer and Governmental Affairs Bureau also forwards complaints to the Enforcement Bureau, which may use them to pursue enforcement actions. For further information, contact Daniel Stepanicich, Attorney, Telecommunications Consumers Division, Enforcement Bureau, at (202) 418-7451 or Though scam PACS have no standard definition and cant be definitively counted, a review of Federal Election Commission records suggests they account for a sliver of the some 6,800 PACs in the country. fcc504@fcc.gov it is ordered Amend 0.111 by redesignating paragraph (j) as paragraph (k) and revising it and by adding new paragraph (j) to read as follows: (j) Collects and reviews information received from private entities related to violations of 64.1200(a) and 64.1604(a) of this chapter.