‘Robocalls’ to Stop Today

(CN) - Prerecorded telemarketing calls to consumers - commonly known as robocalls - are supposed to stop Sept. 1.

The calls will be prohibited whether or not the consumer previously has done business with the seller, and a only a telemarketer with the consumers' written permission to call can get around the rule.

In announcing the prohibition, the Federal Trade Commission Chairman, Jon Leibowitz, said, "American consumers have made it crystal clear that few things annoy them more than the billions of commercial telemarketing robocalls they receive every year." He added, "If consumers think they're being harassed by robocallers, they need to let us know, and we will go after them." Penalties for violating the rule are up to $16,000 per call.

The new requirement is part of amendments to the agency's Telemarketing Sales Rule (TSR) that were announced a year ago.

Calls from politicians, banks, telephone carriers, most charitable organizations, and some others are not covered by the rule because they are not covered by the TSR.

Consumers may complain of robocalls on the donotcall.gov Web site or by calling 1-888-382-1222.

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