Banking and Finance Law Daily Wrap Up, PRIVACY—Robocall complaints continue, according to FTC’s Do Not Call Registry Data Book, (Dec 6, 2013)

By J. Preston Carter, J.D., LL.M.

During the past year, the Federal Trade Commission continued to receive large numbers of consumer complaints about robocalls, according to the National Do Not Call Registry Data Book for Fiscal Year 2013. The number varied by month, ranging between a low of 146,845 complaints in June 2013, and a high of 234,871 in October 2012, the FTC reported. Robocalls are recorded telemarketing messages sent by autodialers that can call thousands of phone numbers every minute. The companies that use this technology generally don't bother to screen for numbers on the national Do Not Call Registry. And, the FTC warns, the companies are generally trying to scam the consumer.

The National Do Not Call Registry provides consumers with an easy and efficient way to register their preference not to receive most telemarketing sales calls. The Data Book shows that, at the end of FY 2013, the Do Not Call Registry contained 223,429,112 actively registered phone numbers, up from 217,568,284 at the end of FY 2012. In addition, the number of consumer complaints about unwanted telemarketing calls received decreased from 3,840,569 during FY 2012, to 3,748,655 during FY 2013.

The National Do Not Call Registry Data Book contains statistical data regarding the registrations on the Registry; the subscriptions of entities, such as telemarketers and sellers; accessing phone numbers on the Registry; and the complaints consumers submit to the FTC about companies allegedly violating the do-not call rules. Information includes:

• the number of active registrations and consumer complaints since the Registry began in 2003;

• FY 2013 complaint figures by month and type;

• FY 2013 registration and complaint figures for all 50 states and the District of Columbia by population;

• rankings of the number of Do Not Call registrations by state population;

• the number of entities accessing the Registry by fiscal year; and

• an appendix on registration and complaint figures by state and area code.

Consumers can notify law enforcement of violations of the do-not-call rules by submitting complaints to the FTC via either the toll free number (888-382-1222) or the website. Law enforcement officials can then review these complaints, as well as consumer registration information and telemarketer access information, through the Consumer Sentinel Network, a secure Internet website maintained by the FTC.

RegulatoryActivity: Privacy