Trustee Elections
These are the original issues in this subcategory
  • PHARMACEUTICAL ADS
  • ROBOCALLS
  • TELEMARKETING FRAUD
Winning Issue » TELEMARKETING FRAUD


There could be up to 10 billion phone numbers in the U.S. today. And each day, it is estimated telemarketers make 148 million sales calls. In order to identify potential customers, telemarketers often purchase consumer profiles from merchants and other information brokers. In 2019, millions of Americans lost nearly $9 billion to telemarketing scams. Those over 60 years of age file almost half of all telemarketing fraud complaints. Consumer advocates say older people are targeted because they are often at home and can easily be preyed upon by swindlers taking advantage of their isolation or loneliness. Telemarketing trade groups claim their industry creates millions of jobs and pumps more than $21 billion into our economy. Even so, at least 70% of Americans have added their telephone numbers to the FTC’s do-not-call registry which prohibits commercial telemarketers from calling residences on this list. Telemarketers claim the do-not-call list is unconstitutional because it limits speech based on its content and because it only bans marketing calls - not calls from politicians, charities and others.

Pending Legislation: H.R.982 - Seniors Fraud Prevention Act of 2021
Sponsor: Rep. Theodore Deutch (FL)
Status: House Subcommittee on Consumer Protection and Commerce
Chair: Rep. Janice Schakowsky (IL)



Options


  • I oppose reforming current telemarketing fraud policy and wish to donate resources to the campaign committee of Speaker Nancy Pelosi (CA).
  • I support establishing an office within the Bureau of Consumer Protection to advise the FTC on the prevention of fraud targeting seniors and to assist the FTC in monitoring the market for mail, television, Internet, telemarketing and robocall fraud targeting seniors by:

    1.) Disseminating to seniors, their families and caregivers information on the most common fraud schemes, including methods of reporting complaints either to the FTC's national toll-free telephone number or to the FTC's Consumer Sentinel Network, where complaints become immediately available to the FBI, state attorneys general, and other appropriate law enforcement agencies.

    2.) Providing, in response to a specific request about a particular entity or individual, publicly available information regarding the FTC's enforcement action.

    3.) Maintaining a website with information on fraud which targets seniors.

    And wish to donate resources to the campaign committee of Rep. Janice Schakowsky (IL) and/or to an advocate group currently working with this issue.


Winning Option
  • I support establishing an office within the Bureau of Consumer Protection to advise the FTC on the prevention of fraud targeting seniors and to assist the FTC in monitoring the market for mail, television, Internet, telemarketing and robocall fraud targeting seniors by:

    1.) Disseminating to seniors, their families and caregivers information on the most common fraud schemes, including methods of reporting complaints either to the FTC's national toll-free telephone number or to the FTC's Consumer Sentinel Network, where complaints become immediately available to the FBI, state attorneys general, and other appropriate law enforcement agencies.

    2.) Providing, in response to a specific request about a particular entity or individual, publicly available information regarding the FTC's enforcement action.

    3.) Maintaining a website with information on fraud which targets seniors.

    And wish to donate resources to the campaign committee of Rep. Janice Schakowsky (IL) and/or to an advocate group currently working with this issue.
There has been $0.00 pledged in support of this issue
Trustee Candidates

If elected as a trustee, the campaign committee of Rep. Janice Schakowsky (IL) will be unconditionally awarded the funds pledged to this issue along with a letter requesting her to favorably consider passing H.R.982 - Seniors Fraud Prevention Act of 2021.

If elected as a trustee, Fraud.org will be awarded the funds pledged to this issue along with a letter requesting these funds be used to protect seniors from being targeted with fraudulent telemarketing.

About: Fraud.org is a project of the National Consumers League (NCL), a nonprofit advocacy organization based in Washington, DC. NCL was founded in 1899 to promote the interests of consumers and workers in the United States and abroad. Over its long history, NCL staff have dedicated themselves to this mission through investigation, public interest advocacy, and consumer education. Fraud.org is a project of the National Consumers League, the 120+ year old watchdog organization fighting for increased consumer protections. The NCL team that runs Fraud.org has decades of experience investigating scams and how criminals operate, monitoring trends, and counseling consumers.
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Trustee Election - Opening Date
September 19, 2022
Trustee Election - Closing Date
September 26, 2022