Robocalls & Telemarketing

Robocalls compromise privacy and public safety, undermine the federal Lifeline telecommunications program by using up low-income consumers' limited minutes, and subject vulnerable consumers to harassing and intrusive telemarketing and debt collection tactics. NCLC works to defend and strengthen consumer laws, particularly the federal Telephone Consumer Protection Act (TCPA), to protect consumers from abusive and illegal practices.

Take Action: Tell the FCC and Congress to keep strong rules in place to stop these unwanted robocalls to cell phones.

State-by-State Robocall Data (2017)

The problem is worse than it seems. Hover over your state on the map below to see just how many robocalls were made to your friends and neighbors last year (total appears below the map). Many of these calls were made illegally, to cell phones without consent.

Source: YouMail, Robocall Index (2017)

The Federal Communications Commission has taken aim at scam and spoofed (disguised number) calls but receives frequent requests for exemptions from consumer protection laws from some of the largest banks, telemarketers, and debt collectors. Data shows that large banks and credit card companies consistently rank among the top sources of robocalls. Legitimate businesses making illegal calls to cell phones without consent has led to 2017 being the worst year on record for robocalls.

Source: YouMail, Robocall Index (2018)

Take Action! Have you or a loved one been harassed by a bank or debt collector with robocalls to your cell phone? Help #EndRobocalls.

Tell the FCC and Congress to keep strong rules in place to stop these unwanted robocalls to cell phones.

Resources

Six Top Tips for Consumers to Stop Illegal Robocalls, May 2018
Robocallers: Uninvited Guests (Video), March 2018
Wrong Numbers, Bankruptcies, and a Quadruple Bypass: Robocalls from Creditors Don't Stop, October 2018
Enraged Relatives, Settled Debts, and Wrong Number Calls: Too Many Illegal Debt Collection Robocalls Go Unchecked, October 2018
Without Consent, Navient's Student Debt Collection Robocalls Keep Coming, October 2018

HOT TOPICS

Press Release: FCC Issues Proposed Order to Reduce Wrong Number Robocalls, Nov. 21, 2018
Press Release: Consumer Groups Welcome Bipartisan Legislation to Stop Misleading "Spoofed" Robocalls, Nov. 16, 2018
NCLC Comments to the FCC on the 9th Circuit Marks Decision, Oct. 17, 2018; Group ex-parte supplemental comments, Nov. 13, 2018
Group comments to the FCC re: Rules and Regulations Implementing the Telephone Consumer Protection Act and Interpretations in Light of the D.C. Circuit‘s ACA International Decision (CG Docket No. 02-278 and CG Docket No. 18-152), June 13, 2018 and Reply comments
Memo: Amicus Brief Filed in the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals on Behalf of NCLC and NACA in Marks v. Crunch San Diego, LLC, Arguing that the FCC's Pre-2015 Orders Defining a Calling System as a Robodialer Remain in Effect, May 21, 2018
Press Release: NCLC Attorney Margot Saunders Testifies at U.S. Senate Hearing on Stopping Abusive Robocalls; Urges FCC to Strengthen Key Federal Privacy Law, April 18, 2018 || Testimony
Memo: The Effect of ACA International: What Does it Vacate, What Does it Undermine, What Rules Remain?, April 2, 2018 PDF || MS Word
Amicus brief filed in the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals on behalf of the National Consumer Law Center and the National Association of Consumer Advocates in Marks v. Crunch San Diego, LLC, arguing that the FCC's pre-2015 orders defining a calling system as a robodialer remain in effect (May 21, 2018)
Press release: D.C. Court Decision: Ball is Now in FCC Chairman Pai’s Court to Protect Consumers from Robocalls, March 16, 2018
Press release: Robocall Problem Even Worse than FTC Data Shows, Jan. 4, 2018

Press

11/9/18 CNN "Rules against robocalls shouldn't be loosened" by NCLC Senior Counsel Margot Saunders
10/31/18 Mercury News "Robocalls gone wild end up costing California debt collector $9 million"
8/6/18 CNBC "Don't pick up (or maybe you should): That annoying robocall could be about your student loans" quotes NCLC Senior Counsel Margot Saunders
7/17/18 Washington Post "Robo-calls are getting worse. And some big businesses soon could start calling you even more." quotes NCLC Senior Counsel Margot Saunders
7/5/18 Detroit Free Press "Could a tsunami of robocalls be headed to our cell phones?" quotes NCLC Senior Counsel Margot Saunders
6/12/18 Forbes "There Were 4.1 Billion Robocalls Dialed in the U.S. Last Month" quotes NCLC deputy director Carolyn Carter
5/24/18 BYU Radio "Robocalls on the Rise" NCLC Senior Counsel Margot Saunders joins Julie Rose for her "Top of Mind" broadcast to discuss the rising toll robocalls take on consumer privacy and what can be done to stop them.
5/18/18 Vice: Motherboard "Our Robocall Hell Is a Result of Inconsistent Enforcement and Carrier Apathy" quotes NCLC Senior Counsel Margot Saunders discusses the failure of telephone service providers and regulators to do enough to stop robocalls.
5/16/18 Slate "There Are Two Big Reasons Robocalls Are Getting Worse" quotes NCLC Senior Counsel Margot Saunders and explains the FCC's mistake in only addressing scam robocalls "while largely ignoring the aggressive robocalling behavior of legitimate businesses."
1/17/18 NBC News "It's not just you--Americans received 30 billion robocalls last year" quotes NCLC Senior Counsel Margot Saunders on the volume of robocalls and company's efforts to amend the rules to make even more robocalls.
11/20/17 WIRED "The Robocall Nightmare Is Only Getting Worse--But Help Is Here" quotes NCLC Senior Counsel Margot Saunders on the prevalence of unwanted robocalls from banks and debt collectors while the FCC remains focused on scam calls.
6/26/17 The Hill "Consumers Need Strong Protections from Robocalls" by NCLC Senior Counsel Margot Saunders.