New limits on telemarketers
June 27, 2016
by Bridget Small
Consumer Education Specialist, FTC
Scammers want your money, but they don't want to get caught taking it. That's
why fraudulent telemarketers ask people to pay with systems that deliver a
quick, anonymous cash payout like cash-to-cash transfers or cash reload card
PINs. However, it's
<https://www.ftc.gov/news-events/press-releases/2016/06/ftc-alerts-telemarketers
-tsr-prohibits-certain-payment-methods> now illegal for telemarketers to ask for
payment by:
* cash-to-cash money transfers - like those from MoneyGram and Western
Union
* PINs from cash reload cards like MoneyPak and Vanilla Reload
The FTC amended the Telemarketing Sales Rule (TSR) to ban these practices
starting June 13, 2016. If a telemarketer asks you to use one of these payment
methods, he's breaking the law.
The amended Rule also bans telemarketers from calling to ask for your bank
account information and using it to create a 'remotely created check' that you
never see, or sign. If a telemarketer you haven't done business with calls to
ask for your bank account number for any purpose, say 'No' and hang up.
You have other protections under the Rule, including:
* limits on
<https://www.consumer.ftc.gov/articles/0198-telemarketing-sales-rule> when
telemarketers can call and what they must tell you
* limits on
<https://www.consumer.ftc.gov/articles/0198-telemarketing-sales-rule> "hang-up"
calls and rules about transmitting caller ID
* limits on <https://www.consumer.ftc.gov/articles/0259-robocalls>
robocalls
* the <https://donotcall.gov/> National Do Not Call Registry
If you hear from telemarketers who don't follow the rules, hang up and
<https://www.ftc.gov/complaint> report them to the FTC.
SOURCE: FTC News Release at
https://www.consumer.ftc.gov/blog/new-limits-telemarketers?utm_source=govdeliver
y
NOTE: If you wish to comment on the new limits that have been placed on
telemarketers, please go to
https://www.consumer.ftc.gov/blog/new-limits-telemarketers?utm_source=govdeliver
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