Latest news with #DoNotCallRegistry
The Hill
a day ago
- Business
- The Hill
Robocalls are rising fast in 2025 – especially in these US cities
(NEXSTAR) – Your phone ringing a little extra lately? You're not alone. Americans got nearly 5 billion robocalls last month according to tracking by YouMail, a call screening and blocking service that tracks call volume. In the first five months of the year, robocalls have gone up 11% when compared to the same period in 2024, the company's latest analysis found. Last month averaged more than 1,800 robocalls per second. The people most likely to have their phones ringing endlessly these days live outside the country's biggest cities, the report found. The cities that saw the largest year-over-year jump in robocalls, according to YouMail, were: Larger cities, like Houston and Philadelphia, also saw increases in robocall volume, YouMail CEO Alex Quilici said, but the changes weren't as dramatic. 'It's really fascinating, the bigger cities are very similar to last year – slight increases or decreases,' he said. 'It's the mid-tier cities, especially in the Midwest seeing big jumps.' While would-be scammers haven't given up trying to contact you, it's actually legal telemarketing callers that are driving much of the increase, according to Quilici. It has to do with a Federal Communications Commission (FCC) rule change earlier this year. The agency was trying to make it so that when you give consent for a company to contact you, you're only agreeing to be contacted by that specific company. But that rule was tossed out in court, and now companies can often share your contact information with others who may want it. Quilici gave an example: 'I was shopping for a car, and there's five or six local dealers. And sure, the local dealers can call me. I'm happy to give consent for that, right? I want them to call me and tell me what they've got, but I didn't mean to then give consent to insurance companies and everybody else out there.' Most people don't read the terms before clicking that little box online, so they don't realize they've agreed to being blasted with marketing calls. Giving that consent also means they can be contacted even if they're on the federal Do Not Call Registry. Thanks to another recent court ruling, the FCC has also had a harder time fining wrongdoers, Quilici explained. Other agencies, like the Department of Justice, may pick up the mantle and try to go after excessive telemarketing calls, spam texts and scammers, he said. But in the meantime, we may be stuck screening more and more unwanted calls.
Yahoo
30-05-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Federal judge bars Texas man, source of billions of robocalls nationwide from business
May 29—Ohio and seven other states have received a permanent ban against a Texas-based robocaller behind billions of illegal calls, Ohio Attorney General Dave Yost said in a release. According to the release, John C. Spiller II previously offered robocall dialer and Voice Over Internet Protocol services to telemarketers, leading to huge volumes of robocalls, many of which targeted numbers on the Do Not Call Registry. In 2023, he was put under a court order that barred him from placing or facilitating robocalls, but used aliases to launch new companies providing the same kind of robocalls, the release said. As a result, a federal judge in Texas recently found Spiller in contempt of court and imposed the strictest penalty, permanently barring him from launching future telecommunications companies, operating in the telecom industry, collaborating with those that helped in his illegal businesses, make deceptive statements or use aliases in government filings, the release said. He was also ordered to pay more than $600,000 in attorney's fees and litigation costs for violating the order. Attorneys general from Arkansas, Indiana, Michigan, Missouri, North Carolina, North Dakota, Ohio and Texas were involved in the contempt order. "This scammer's line is dead — and it's not coming back," Yost said.
Yahoo
29-05-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Court bans robocall scammer from telecom industry
RALEIGH, N.C. (WNCT) — North Carolina and seven other states won a court ruling permanently barring robocall scammer John Spiller from operating in the telecommunications industry. According to Attorney General Jeff Jackson's Press Release, Spiller was also ordered to pay more than $600,000 in costs and attorney's fees for violating the court's order that North Carolina won against Spiller in March 2023. Spiller owned and operated several voice service providers that initiated and facilitated tens of millions of illegal robocalls to North Carolinians, including to people whose numbers were on the Do Not Call Registry. 'This fraudster helped make billions of scam robocalls to steal from people all over the country for years, including here in North Carolina,' Attorney General Jeff Jackson said. 'This is a huge win that will help keep millions of people safe from phone scams and fraud. I'm grateful to the NCDOJ attorneys who led the team that got this done. Anyone who tries to hurt or rip off North Carolinians will run up against my office and be held responsible.' You can read the requests to the court here. You can read the judge's order here. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Gulf Insider
26-02-2025
- Business
- Gulf Insider
Dubai Fines 159 Companies $13,600 Over Telemarketing Rule Violations
Dubai authorities are clamping down on unwanted business phone calls with fines and warnings for rulebreakers. Dubai Corporation for Consumer Protection and Fair Trade (DCCPFT), part of the Dubai Department of Economy and Tourism (DET), has taken decisive steps to regulate telemarketing practices with the aim of protecting consumer rights and promoting positive business standards. These efforts have been implemented in coordination with the Ministry of Economy (MoEc) and the Telecommunications and Digital Government Regulatory Authority (TDRA), in accordance with Cabinet Decision No. 56 of 2024 concerning the regulation of telemarketing practices, and Cabinet Decision No. 57 of 2024 regarding violations and administrative penalties for actions contravening the provisions of Decision No. 56. These regulations aim to reduce unwanted telemarketing calls, ensuring consumer comfort and protecting their privacy. They also work to enhance consumer trust in businesses by ensuring that companies adhere to appropriate channels and timings for marketing their products, thereby building a positive business climate. Since the resolutions came into effect in August 2024, DCCPFT issued initial warnings to 174 companies in Dubai to ensure compliance. Subsequently, fines of AED50,000 ($13,600) were imposed on 159 companies that failed to adhere to the regulations. DCCPFT's robust approach aligns with the ambitious goals of the Dubai Economic Agenda, D33, to double the size of Dubai's economy by 2033 and to further enhance Dubai's position as a leading global destination for business and leisure. By curbing market-disruptive practices, DCCPFT is committed to creating a fair, competitive landscape that enhances economic stability and consumer protection. The regulatory legislation applies to all licensed companies in the UAE, including those in free zones, whose products and services are marketed through telephone calls. In accordance with the resolutions, key guiding principles for telemarketing activities include: Not contacting consumers whose numbers are registered in the 'Do Not Call Registry' (DNCR), which is managed by TDRA Only making calls from 9am to 6pm Notifying the consumer at the start of the call if it's being recorded
ARN News Center
26-02-2025
- Business
- ARN News Center
Dubai fines 159 firms for violating telemarketing rules
As many as 159 companies in Dubai have been fined AED 50,000 each for violating telemarketing regulations. These rules, part of Cabinet Decisions No. 56 and 57 of 2024, aim to protect consumer privacy, reduce cold calls and ensure marketing is done only during acceptable hours through appropriate channels. Since the resolutions came into effect in August 2024, the Dubai Corporation for Consumer Protection and Fair Trade (DCCPFT) issued warnings to 174 companies, and later imposed fines on 159 firms that failed to comply. The DCCPFT, part of the Dubai Department of Economy and Tourism (DET), has been enforcing the rules in collaboration with the Ministry of Economy and the Telecommunications & Digital Government Regulatory Authority (TDRA). The legislation applies to all licensed businesses in the UAE, including free zones, whose products and services are marketed through telephone calls. It outlines key rules such as not contacting consumers whose numbers are registered in the 'Do Not Call Registry' managed by the TDRA, only making calls from 09:00 am to 06:00 pm, and notifying customers if a call is being recorded.
