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Thursday, April 18, 2024 | Back issues
Courthouse News Service Courthouse News Service

FTC Offers Hope Against Pesky Telemarketers

(CN) - All telemarketers pushing prerecorded messages must provide their targets with a simple way "to opt out of receiving any future calls," the FTC said. The new rule enabling the victims to "opt out at any time while the message is playing by pressing a particular number or speaking a particular word" took effect Monday.

The FTC released this statement on Monday: "Prerecorded telemarketing messages are permitted only in limited circumstances - only when the caller has an established business relationship with the consumer being called. Now, additional restrictions on prerecorded messages are going into effect. Under Do Not Call amendments adopted in August, effective today, any permitted prerecorded message must provide the called consumer with an interactive means to opt out of receiving future calls from the seller or fundraiser using the prerecorded message. Moreover, the consumer must be able to opt out at any time while the message is playing by pressing a particular number or speaking a particular word. Once the consumer has opted out, his or her phone number must be automatically added to the in-house Do Not Call list of the calling seller or fundraiser. Then the call immediately must be disconnected so that the consumer's line is cleared."

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