The Federal Trade Commission has reported that complaints about unwanted telemarketing calls have dropped significantly. This is the third straight year with improved complaints about unwanted calls. According to reports, over 50% fewer complaints than in 2021 have been recorded because of government efforts against telemarketing scams and illegal calls.
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The FTC received about 33,000 fewer complaints during the 2024 fiscal year. Complaints related to unwanted calls came in all varieties. The complaints about debt reduction scams increased by more than 85% compared to last year.
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Sam Levine, Director of the FTC’s Bureau of Consumer Protection, stated that the illegal calls persisted but credited focused strategies for making them decline. These include addressing major players involved in these schemes and starting to do something about the new schemes in telemarketing frauds.
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The FTC states that this improvement was due to enforcing the Telemarketing Sales Rule (TSR), which bars telemarketers from impersonating businesses or government agencies and leaves no room for AI-based spam calls. The FTC also banned extended vehicle warranty scams due to the proposed fine that the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) intends to impose on a major campaign amounting to $300 million.
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The FCC has been key in putting action in place. For instance, the agency introduced an anti-spoofing protocol for installing caller ID. It has also banned robocalls generated by AI, and robotexts lack opt-out capabilities. Carriers are now forced to block suspected illegal robots for further consumer protection.
Together, these steps by the FTC and FCC reflect giant leaps in reducing the effects of telemarketing scams and protecting the consumer from highly intrusive calls and messages.
