Additionally, the FTC alleged that the defendants purchase the telephone numbers from websites that misleads consumers into providing their personal information including their telephone numbers.
These websites used tactics like using several federal government seals and small prints at the bottom of the page to hide their true telemarketing purpose. The small prints state that consumers gave their “consent” to receive telemarketing calls about different subjects by clicking the submit button.
In many cases, consumers do not read small prints, therefore they are not aware that they are giving consent to receive telemarketing calls unrelated to the service that they want.
Telemarketers cannot call consumers on the National Do Not Call Registry
Andrew Smith, Director of the Bureau of Consumer Protection at the FTC, said, “Telemarketers have a duty to ensure that they are not placing calls to people on the National Do Not Call Registry. And they cannot rely on affiliate websites that use fine print and other deceptive tactics to lure consumers.”
