The Commission directs the Enforcement Bureau to announce the effective date for those information collections in a document published in the 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. We have told them many times to stop calling us, one person contacted by Politicause complained to the FTC in April 2019, noting that the household was on a Do Not Call list. include documents scheduled for later issues, at the request . For the reasons discussed in the preamble, the Federal Communications Commission proposes to amend 47 CFR parts 0 and 64 as follows: 1. . People with Disabilities. This is a summary of the Commission's Report and Order, in EB Docket No. 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. Its infuriating, said Angelides, who learned from Reuters that it was a PAC that got his money. Committee for Police Officers' Defense We were very clear with RAGA that we could not continue our relationship unless we had assurances that they take steps to ensure that nothing like this would happen again.. Its the only thing in life Ive ever been (expletive) good at, said Armstrong, who records show has theft and drug convictions. The callers said theyd already honed their charity pitches and so found it easy to repurpose them for the political committees, appealing to patriotism and what one called pulling heartstrings.. Neither Zeitlin nor his attorney would comment on the FTC lawsuit. 227(e). electronic version on GPOs govinfo.gov. A web of new political action committees raised nearly $6 million in recent months under the guise of supporting police, veterans and . committeeforpoliceofficersdefense.com Review - Scam Detector The Sylacauga call center employed work release inmates, an arrangement that apparently ended before 2018, the former callers said. About the Federal Register 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. 16. It was viewed 36 times while on Public Inspection. Quoting from its website, the "Committee for Police Officers' Defense is a 527 Committee designed to seek out radical prosecutors, judges and district attorneys." Another organization is. The Federal Trade Commission, which is responsible for policing telemarketing, generally has no jurisdiction over political fundraising, said Lois Greisman, an associate director in charge of the agencys marketing practices division. 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 the courts under 44 U.S.C. NPRM, Its hard to bring these cases unless you have evidence disproving that.. documents in the last year, 940 We enforce federal competition and consumer protection laws that prevent anticompetitive, deceptive, and unfair business practices. Even so, Reuters identified a loose network of fundraising companies and PACs that quickly grew into a money-making force, with some ranking near the top fundraisers in the period stretching from January 2017 through mid-2019. March 24, 2017 or call the FCC's Consumer and Governmental Affairs Bureau at (202) 418-0530 (voice), (202) 418-0432 (TTY). (b) For the purposes of this section, the term private entity shall mean any entity other than a natural individual person or a public entity. 3. Treasurer: POLLOCK, KECIA MARIE. This definition is consistent with common usage. 804(2). Recording / robocall Comments . 03/03/2023, 234 Federal Register These markup elements allow the user to see how the document follows the We also have a process for obtaining information from certain public entities: Federal and state law enforcement agencies routinely coordinate with the Enforcement Bureau about robocall and caller ID spoofing enforcement and mitigation efforts. Alex Angelides, a 31-year-old engineer from Arlington, Virginia, donated $600to a superPAC called For a Better America, which spent 90% of its money on fundraising alone. 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. It also has roots in charity fundraising. How Scam PACs fall through the cracks of U.S. regulators, The motto was, Leave your morals at the door, said Alexander Lefler, 21, who worked for nearly a year at a call center southeast of Birmingham, Alabama, describing what he saw as high-pressure and deceptive tactics. He said only that it was based in Florida; Reuters could not determine the specific jurisdiction. Police Officers' Defense Coalition 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. Training was minimal, pressure relentless and turnover high, the workers said. Thats what critics call political action committees that gobble up most of the money they raise rather than using it forthe charitable or other causes they profess to support. 30 days after publication in the Coffee is for Closers Only, read another. 24. They called 4 times in one day. Counts are subject to sampling, reprocessing and revision (up or down) throughout the day. 03/03/2023, 1465 Melaleuca, an online wellness shopping club, gave $290,000 to the Republican Attorneys General Association in 2020. About | Police Officers' Defense Coalition Delany De Leon-Colon, postal inspector in charge of the USPS Criminal Investigation Unit, explained how the elderly are particularly likely to fall for robocall . All said they thought they were giving to a charity. 26. 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. Mailing address: 8228 FAWN MEADOW AVE LAS VEGAS, NV 89149. For further information, contact Daniel Stepanicich, Attorney, Telecommunications Consumers Division, Enforcement Bureau, at (202) 418-7451 or Several told NBC News that spending money on this kind of recruitment for protest runs counter to the purpose of their donation. 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. 1503 & 1507. Third, consumers will not be adversely affected by our decision to exclude them from the definition of private entity. A spokesperson for the Republican Attorneys General Association did not address questions about the robocall but sought to distance the organization from the event. It is further ordered by the Foreign Assets Control Office But she said the panel has been paralyzed by partisan divisions and, more recently, a lack of a quorum. Beware: That Call for Police Donations May Be from a Political Action 6. First, we find that there is value in maintaining the separate informal consumer complaint process. shall send documents in the last year, by the Nuclear Regulatory Commission In the Pallone-Thune Telephone Robocall Abuse Criminal Enforcement and Deterrence Act (TRACED Act), Congress directed the Commission to establish regulations to create a process that "streamlines the ways in which a private entity may voluntarily share with the Commission information relating to" a call or text message that violates . Police officer's scam robocall warning goes viral The "GMA" team of insiders analyzes some of the biggest stories trending this morning. Robocalls and the Do Not Call Registry. 151, 152, 154, 201, 202, 217, 218, 220, 222, 225, 226, 227, 227b, 228, 251(a), 251(e), 254(k), 262, 276, 403(b)(2)(B), (c), 616, 620, 1401-1473, unless otherwise noted, Pub. Section 227 of the Communications Act of 1934, as amended (the Communications Act), is designed to protect consumers from unlawful robocalls. The Public Inspection page BBB Advises Potential Donors to be Cautious If Solicited by the One Piaro committee, Americans for the Cure of Breast Cancer, garnered $1.6 million in donations through Zeitlins fundraising operations and made one charitable contribution, $10,000 to the Susan G. Komen Foundation less than 1% of the total raised, campaign filings show. New Documents Further Information. If new workers werent making sales, they were quickly fired. 47 U.S.C. that the Commission the Federal Register. Sections 227(b), (c), and (d) impose specific requirements on telemarketing and prerecorded voice message calls to give consumers the ability to know who is calling and to control the calls they receive. Former callers at both TPFE and Politicause said they were given scripts and FAQs that required them to mention that the groups were political action committees but were told by managers to glide past the disclosures about who was calling and how the money would be used. 19. The political action committee spent 91% of its money on fundraising in the 2 year examined by Reuters, Federal Election Commission records show. Information about this document as published in the Federal Register. Jessica Blanchard, 23, who worked at Politicause in 2018, said many callers either were addicts from halfway houses or jail inmates on work release. 4. 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. When she later realized it was a PAC telemarketer, she felt exploited. information to inform Commission consumer protection policies as well as for analytical and consumer education purposes. 3. shall send In addition, we note that pursuant to the Small Business Paperwork Relief Act of 2002, we previously sought specific comment on how the Commission might further reduce the information collection burden for small business concerns with fewer than 25 employees. We find that our decision to exclude individual consumers from the definition of private entity will greatly reduce, if not eliminate, potential confusion. Sections 64.1204(a) and 64.1606(a) contain new or modified information collection requirements that require review by OMB under the PRA. Consumers, meanwhile, should continue to submit individual complaints about unwanted robocalls and spoofed calls that they receive through the Consumer and Governmental Affairs Bureau's informal consumer complaint process. FAIRFAX, Va., July 10, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- The Committee for Police Officers' Defense, the political arm of Police Officers' Defense Coalition, recently launched a . Thus, a private entity is only in a position to provide information about calls that it suspects are violations of the law. The Commission's Enforcement Bureau (Bureau) will monitor the portal. For an optimal experience visit our site on another browser. 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. But because that suggested donors were contributing directly to purchasing new gear, the callers said they were told by managers to adjust their language. 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. Jan. 8, 2021, 5:36 PM PST. This is John calling from the committee. The calls, which often target elderly donors, come from a variety of generic and similar-sounding aliases: The Police Officers Support Association, the National Emergency Responders Coalition and. Bass, who set up several other super PACs, declined to comment. 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. 5. 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. Now I'm not knocking on Mr. Fotis, I'm just reporting on what I have found and I thank him for his service in the Army and as a Police Officer. Each document posted on the site includes a link to the 151, 154(i), 154(j), 155, 225, and 409, unless otherwise noted. Callers told Reuters they easily made the switch, working in the same buildings, for the same bosses, using similar scripts. 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. documents in the last year, 35 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 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. 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. We were good at slick-talking these people, said Dellinger, who court records show has been convicted of felonies including the truck theft and other burglary charges. (See accompanying article.) At Politicause, for instance, some said they initially were told to say donations would be used to help buy new police and fire equipment. On September 1, 2009, new FTC rules went into effect prohibiting most prerecorded telemarketing calls, commonly known as robocalls . The groups share funding, staff and office space in Washington, D.C. Verify: Law enforcement charity phone calls - KSDK In addition, it serves as a valuable clearinghouse for the Commission to identify trends and activities that are negatively affecting consumers. The Better Business Bureau says if anyone calls or knocks asking you to help the police, the best thing you can do is ask them for information before you agree to donate. Spot the latest COVID scams, get compliance guidance, and stay up to date on FTC actions during the pandemic. 12. 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. [FR Doc. Like many such telemarketing centers tucked away in strip malls or office parks, it offered no clues to what went on inside. documents in the last year, 86 We work to advance government policies that protect consumers and promote competition. 8. the current document as it appeared on Public Inspection on 03/03/2023, 159 Federal Register The portal will request private entities to submit certain minimum information including, but not necessarily limited to, the name of the reporting private entity, contact information, including at least one individual name and means of contacting the entity ( To request this document in accessible formats for people with disabilities ( ) on December 8, 2020, proposing to establish a streamlined process for private entities to submit information about robocall violations to the Commission. These workers were a convenient labor pool and skilled at getting people to open their wallets, former callers said. She is based in Washington. the material on FederalRegister.gov is accurately displayed, consistent with Against that background, Congress directed the Commission to develop a streamlined process for private entities to submit robocall information to the Commission. In a statement to NBC News, Alabama Attorney General Steve Marshall, who runs the fund, said the calls were sent out without his knowledge. Federal government websites often end in .gov or .mil. We acknowledge commenters' concerns that, at least initially, private entities might be confused about whether the consumer complaint process or the new streamlined process is a more appropriate place to submit information. Twilio recommends that the Commission create one centralized mechanism for reporting all information regarding robocalling and spoofing, whether it is from a whistleblower, company, or consumer. Start Printed Page 52841 Thus, we have minimized the impact on small businesses. The President of the United States issues other types of documents, including but not limited to; memoranda, notices, determinations, letters, messages, and orders. after OMB completes its review, and directs the Enforcement Bureau to cause 64.1204 and 64.1606 to be revised accordingly. Appendix A, Going byvarious names, the fundraising operation has worked for some of the same PACs as Zeitlins firms have and has employed some of the same people, according to internal PAC records, state corporate filings, employee interviews and deposition testimony in a civil case unrelated to this article. When organizations operate as political action committees, however, they are not subject to the laws governing charity fundraising, according to federal and state regulators and telemarketing industry officials. It is further ordered 503, 132 Stat 348, 1091. documents in the last year, 853 that parts 0 and 64 of the Commission's rules Callers said they did so quickly and proudly, hoping people wouldnt catch on. 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.. Efforts to pass anti-robocall legislation have stalled for years, but the agreement announced Friday increases the odds that Congress will send the White House a bill before 2020. The Commission will send a copy of this Report and Order to Congress and the Government Accountability Office pursuant to 5 U.S.C. or to request reasonable accommodations ( 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. The current informal consumer complaint process is a vital tool for the Commission. that agencies use to create their documents. 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. 23. Two of the fundraising companies identified by Reuters employed jail inmates and ex-cons as telemarketers, according to interviews in Alabama with several former employees, as well as court records. 269-257-6522 | 12692576522 - Phone Scam Alert! - Nomorobo Until the ACFR grants it official status, the XML 25. POLICE OFFICERS DEFENSE ALLIANCE PAC. (562) 512-7043 is a Fake Police Charity Robocall Do not answer. But scam PACs are not like other political action committees. 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. Additional technical issues may arise in the future, and those decisions can be made by the Bureau. on The stance of the protestors was not consistent with Attorney General Carrs position on election fraud. 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. 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. It will be submitted to the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) for review under section 3507(d) of the PRA. This site displays a prototype of a Web 2.0 version of the daily Document page views are updated periodically throughout the day and are cumulative counts for this document. Neither he nor other officials at his company returned requests for comment. 5. 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. The FTC declined to comment. CTIA, SAFE Credit Union (SAFE), Twilio, Inc., and USTelecom-The Broadband Association (USTelecom) filed comments. Commenters raise concerns that the new streamlined portal will create consumer confusion or duplicate current processes. If PACs spend nearly all of their money on fundraising and salaries, fundraisers can say they their motives were sincere and it costs money to raise money, he said. Lastly, we delegate authority to the Bureau to make further decisions about administration of the portal. Second, we find that establishing a stand-alone process designed specifically to handle concerns from private entities ( 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. About 82% of the money, $13.8 million, went to Zeitlins firms, while Piaro collected $190,613 in salary from the PACs, according to the records. on These tools are designed to help you understand the official document regulatory information on FederalRegister.gov with the objective of Sara Kemerer of the . Reuters interviewed a dozen donors to PACs in the informal network. The site has since been taken down. 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. Stop robocalls with Nomorobo on Memo from Chair Lina M. Khan to commission staff and commissioners regarding the vision and priorities for the FTC. POLICE OFFICERS DEFENSE ALLIANCE PAC - committee overview | FEC - FEC.gov Federal Register provide legal notice to the public and judicial notice Adam Piper, the executive director of the Republican Attorneys General Association, and Peter Bisbee, the executive director of the fundraising arm, did not return requests for comment about the robocalls, which were first reported by the watchdog group Documented. 727-335-7484 - Committee For Police Officer's Defense (c) Compliance dateparagraph (a) of this section contains a voluntary information collection. NPRM The call center in Sylacauga, visited by Reuters last year, was operated by Las Vegas-based TPFE Inc, a firm controlled by Zeitlin.

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