How Scam PACs fall through the cracks of U.S. regulators, The motto was, Leave your morals at the door, said Alexander Lefler, 21, who worked for nearly a year at a call center southeast of Birmingham, Alabama, describing what he saw as high-pressure and deceptive tactics. Blue / Bloomberg via Getty Images. Committee for Police Officers' Defense Launches Petition in Support of It is further ordered How do I know you are telling the truth or the people who talked to you are telling the truth? he said. The calls, which often target elderly donors, come from a variety of generic and similar-sounding aliases: The Police Officers Support Association, the National Emergency Responders Coalition and. The Committee for Police Officer's Defense works diligently to bring awareness to the fact that when these anti-police officials seek to regain public office, remain seated on the bench, or hold office- they create a dangerous environment for our upstanding men and women in blue. Two of the fundraising companies identified by Reuters employed jail inmates and ex-cons as telemarketers, according to interviews in Alabama with several former employees, as well as court records. establishing the XML-based Federal Register as an ACFR-sanctioned Scam PAC telemarketers who use aggressive tactics in the charity realm also face less risk of scrutiny or sanction when they turn to PAC fundraising, regulators and former callers said. shall send corresponding official PDF file on govinfo.gov. Gifts to actual charities are; donations to PACs, which sometimes sound like charities, are not. Never disclose personal information. Or follow the simplest rule: Never give to anyone over the phone, said Margot Saunders, senior counsel for the National Consumer Law Center. Laura Strickler is a senior investigative producer and reporter for NBC News. Although the portal will not reject submissions that fail to include the above information, such failure will make it more difficult for the Bureau to investigate fully and take appropriate enforcement action. BBB Advises Potential Donors to be Cautious If Solicited by the But because that suggested donors were contributing directly to purchasing new gear, the callers said they were told by managers to adjust their language. Republican AGs group sent robocalls urging march to the Capitol - NBC News 804(2). Caller name: Committee for Police Officer's Defense. The Public Inspection page may also Police officer's scam robocall warning goes viral The "GMA" team of insiders analyzes some of the biggest stories trending this morning. Open for Comment, Russian Harmful Foreign Activities Sanctions, Economic Sanctions & Foreign Assets Control, Fisheries of the Northeastern United States, National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, Further Advancing Racial Equity and Support for Underserved Communities Through the Federal Government, PART 64MISCELLANEOUS RULES RELATING TO COMMON CARRIERS, https://www.federalregister.gov/d/2021-14711, MODS: Government Publishing Office metadata, https://ecfsapi.fcc.gov/file/06171386503472/FCC-21-75A3.pdf. Organizationally and individually, we strongly condemn and disavow the events which occurred., One of its members, Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton, attended the rally and spoke to the crowd, saying, We will not quit fighting., Following the Capitol invasion, he tweeted, I am sorely disappointed today in the certification of the election, but I dont believe violence is the answer.. Stephanie T. Nguyen, Chief Technology Officer, Competition and Consumer Protection Guidance Documents, HSR threshold adjustments and reportability for 2023, A Century of Technological Evolution at the Federal Trade Commission, National Consumer Protection Week 2023 Begins Sunday, March 5, FTC at the 65th Annual Heard Museum Guild Indian Fair & Market - NCPW 2023, Jason Cardiff (Redwood Scientific Technologies, Inc.), Telemarketer Fees to Access the FTCs National Do Not Call Registry to Increase in 2023, FTC Extends its Crackdown on Subscription Scam That Fleeced Consumers and Harassed Them Over the Phone, Federal Trade Commission Proposes Small Business Protections Against Telemarketing Tricks and Traps, FTC Takes Action to Stop Voice over Internet Provider from Facilitating Illegal Telemarketing Robocalls, Including Scams Relating to the Pandemic, Federal Court Rules in Favor of FTC, Halting Illegal Tactics Used to Promote Smoking Cessation, Weight-Loss, and Sexual-Performance Aids, FTC Issues Biennial Report to Congress on the National Do Not Call Registry, FTC Issues Refunds Totaling More Than $1.8 Million to Consumers Defrauded by Lifewatch, Inc.s Deceptive Medical Alert Telemarketing Scheme, FTC Releases 2021 Do Not Call Registry Data Book; Reports Registrations and Consumer Complaints Both Increased in FY 2021, FTC to Ramp up Enforcement against Illegal Dark Patterns that Trick or Trap Consumers into Subscriptions, FTC Returns $1.1 Million to Consumers Who Lost Money to Alleged Scammers Selling Bogus Income Opportunities, FTC Testifies before the Senate Special Committee on Aging About the Agencys Work to Halt Practices that Prey on Older Americans, Seven Remaining Defendants in Massive Grand Bahama Cruise Line Operation Banned from Making Telemarketing Robocalls; Principals will Pay $100,000 in Civil Penalties, Telemarketer Fees to Access the FTCs National Do Not Call Registry to Increase in 2022, FTC Takes Action against Septic Tank Cleaning Company that Made Millions of Illegal Robocalls to Consumers Nationwide, FTC, 38 States, and D.C. Act to Shut Down Massive Charity Fraud Telefunding Operation, Scammers Who Used Robocalls to Target Cash-Strapped Consumers Banned from Selling Debt Relief Services and Telemarketing, FTC and FCC Send Joint Letters to Additional VoIP Providers Warning against Routing and Transmitting Illegal Coronavirus-related Robocalls, FTC and FCC Send Joint Letters to VoIP Service Providers Warning against Routing and Transmitting Illegal Coronavirus-related Robocalls, FTC Warns Nine VoIP Service Providers and Other Companies against Assisting and Facilitating Illegal Coronavirus-related Telemarketing Calls, FTC Warns 19 VoIP Service Providers That Assisting and Facilitating Illegal Telemarketing or Robocalling Is Against the Law, 4 reasons why the latest FTC robocall cases should matter to your business, FTC goes to court to unravel robocalling net, FTC challenges robocallers false threat that small businesses will be removed from Google, Decision bolsters FTC position on soundboard tech, Working Together to Protect Midwest Consumers: A Common Ground Conference, Common Ground: Fighting Schemes and Scams in a Tough Economy, North Carolina Consumer Protection Workshop, Midwest Region 2012 Common Ground Conference, Statement of Andrew Smith, Director, Bureau of Consumer Protection, at Operation Call It Quits Press Conference, Prepared Remarks of Chairman Joseph Simons at USTelecom Forum: Turning the Tide on Illegal Robocalls, Prepared Remarks of Chairman Joseph Simons at the ABA Consumer Protection Conference, Statement Of Commissioner Rebecca Kelly Slaughter before the Committee on Energy and Commerce Subcommittee on Digital Commerce and Consumer Protection, U.S. House of Representatives, Prepared Statement of the Federal Trade Commission: Abusive Robocalls and How We Can Stop Them, Before the Committee on Commerce, Science and Transportation, United States Senate, FTC-FCC Joint Policy Forum on Fighting the Scourge of Illegal Robocalls, Prepared Statement of the Federal Trade Commission: "Still Ringing Off the Hook: An Update on Efforts To Combat Robocalls," Before the Special Committee on Aging, United States Senate, Prepared Statement of the Federal Trade Commission On Combatting Illegal Robocalls: Initiatives To End the Epidemic, Blog Post: Do Not Robocall Me: The FTC Strikes Back, Prepared Statement of the Federal Trade Commission Entitled Stopping Fraudulent Robocall Scams: Can More Be Done?, Concurring Statement of Commissioner Maureen K. Ohlhausen, Avoid Coronavirus Scams - Tip 1: Hang Up on Robocalls, Robocall Challenge Winners Press Conference, FTC Robocall Challenge: Consumer Tips & Tricks. (See accompanying article.) 2021-14711 Filed 9-22-21; 8:45 am], updated on 4:15 PM on Friday, March 3, 2023, updated on 8:45 AM on Friday, March 3, 2023, 105 documents documents in the last year, by the Executive Office of the President 5. informational resource until the Administrative Committee of the Federal You are not lying, but you are being extremely misleading, said Jason Jones, 24, a former employee at Politicause. Compliance with the requirements of that information collection will not be required until after approval by the Office of Management and Budget. Reuters also could not ascertain the ownership of another large fundraising operation with a call center in Hoover, Alabama, some 45 miles from Zeitlins center in Sylacauga. 16. Police officers defense back. Those calls used a recording of Trump's . 20-374, FCC-21-75, adopted and released on June 17, 2021. . documents in the last year, 853 Together Politicause and Pledge Assistance earned close to $20 million between January 2017 through mid-2019 raising money for PACS, campaign finance records show. An official website of the United States government. To protect law enforcement methods and techniques, we decline to adopt SAFE Credit Union's suggestion to detail the exact steps and criteria that the Bureau will use to evaluate the information submitted. Despite currently transitioning into my role as the newly elected chairman of RLDF, it is unacceptable that I was neither consulted about nor informed of those decisions. (562) 512-7043 is a Fake Police Charity Robocall Do not answer. documents in the last year, 83 But she said the panel has been paralyzed by partisan divisions and, more recently, a lack of a quorum. e.g., 47 U.S.C. In addition, we note that pursuant to the Small Business Paperwork Relief Act of 2002, we previously sought specific comment on how the Commission might further reduce the information collection burden for small business concerns with fewer than 25 employees. a phone number), the caller ID information displayed, the phone number(s) called, the date(s) and time(s) of the relevant calls or texts, the name of the reporting private entity's service provider, and a description of the problematic calls or texts. Committee for Police Officers' Defense (@CPOD_4_Police) / Twitter Reuters Investigates offers several ways to securely contact our reporters. The stance of the protestors was not consistent with Attorney General Carrs position on election fraud. Reached for comment, the Chamber of Commerce provided a statement from Harold Kim, president of the U.S. Chamber Institute for Legal Reform. . But Lee Goodman, an election lawyer and former commissioner who is a Republican, said its dangerous for the government to decide which committees are scams based on how much they spend on causes. ThePAC, organized by Zachary Bass, spent 90% of its take on fundraising, campaign filings show. We kind of all understood what we were doing was wrong, but I needed a place to live.. The Commission's Enforcement Bureau (Bureau) will monitor the portal. Victor J. 8. None of the three managers Reuters was able to identify could be reached for comment. It will be submitted to the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) for review under section 3507(d) of the PRA. Eric Friedman, the Montgomery County consumer protection offices director, said he used his countys laws prohibiting deceptive trade practices to win the settlement. These so-called scam PACs and their fundraisers exploit the gray zone between U.S. election finance and state charity fundraising laws, regulators told Reuters. The portal will collect contact information of the reporting entity, information about the suspected illegal robocall, and a description of the robocall incident. 801(a)(1)(A). on We are proud to say its a 90-10 split, Jones recalled saying, leaving out that his company was getting the 90% share. The otherwise bland office was decorated with posters from the film Glengarry Glen Ross, a tale of ruthless telemarketer salesmen set in a real-estate boiler room. Heroes United, accused of using deceptive tactics to get the firefighter donations, agreed to stop telemarketing in the county and to refund any donations. a copy of this Report and Order Rulemaking, including the Final Regulatory Flexibility Analysis, in a report to Congress and the Government Accountability Office pursuant to the Congressional Review Act, see 5 U.S.C. Box 663 Butler, WI 53007 Visit Website (833) 878-5783 Average of 30. That could punish well-intentioned organizations, he said. James Dellinger, 34, said he and other callers got in the door with a remarkable qualification they were in jail. Both Politicause and TPFE had procedures to keep workers with fraud convictions from handling credit card information, former callers said, although Politicause workers said the rules were sometimes relaxed for high performers. Federal election laws were designed to prevent corruption, he said, not to protect consumers.. We are appalled at the events that culminated in the storming of the U.S. Capitol, the company said in a statement. 4. or call the Consumer and Governmental Affairs Bureau at 202-418-0530 (voice). Senate Aging Committee Tackles Robocall Scams - MeriTalk The political action committee spent 91% of its money on fundraising in the 2 year examined by Reuters, Federal Election Commission records show. <25 Employees . In Montgomery County, Maryland, the consumer protection office recently won a settlement against a super PAC called Heroes United, run by Zachary Bass of Baltimore. Register documents. Many companies that donated to the Republican Attorneys General Association also gave to the Democratic Party equivalent. While we encourage private entities to make use of the registered consortium's resources, we decline to mandate that private entities must coordinate with the consortium prior to submitting information to the Commission. on This PDF is The call centers in Alabama, along with others in Nevada, New Jersey, and Florida, raise money on behalf of scam PACs, slang among criticsfor political action committees that purport to support worthy causes but in reality hand over little of the money for political or charitable purposes. Its the only thing in life Ive ever been (expletive) good at, said Armstrong, who records show has theft and drug convictions. This new portal will not affect the process by which a consumer submits an informal complaint about a robocall or spoofed call, using the long-standing process located on the Commission's homepage. regulatory information on FederalRegister.gov with the objective of offers a preview of documents scheduled to appear in the next day's For instance, the operation raised $16.8 million for PACs founded by Robert Piaro of Fredonia, Wisconsin, which purported to support police, veterans and people with breast cancer. Thus, we have minimized the impact on small businesses. Section 227 of the Communications Act of 1934, as amended (the Communications Act), is designed to protect consumers from unlawful robocalls. Police charity caution: How to know if it's a scam - WCPO