The Federal Trade Commission, in conjunction with 25 federal, state, and local law enforcement agencies, announced a crackdown on illegal robocalls yesterday, bringing 87 different enforcement actions in what the agency calls “Operation Call it Quits.”
The FTC launched four new lawsuits against alleged perpetrators of illegal robocalls — Media Mix 365, LLC, Derek Jason Bartoli, 8 Figure Dream Lifestyle, and First Choice Horizon LLC. The entities were accused of offering bogus credit card interest rate reductions, fraudulent money-making opportunities, and selling home solar energy products. Bartoli was accused of developing an autodialer that made “millions of illegal robocalls.”
“We’re all fed up with the tens of billions of illegal robocalls we get every year,” said Andrew Smith, Director of the FTC’s Bureau of Consumer Protection, in a statement. “Today’s joint effort shows that combatting this scourge remains a top priority for law enforcement agencies around the nation.”
Along with launching four new suits, the FTC also announced settlements in three other lawsuits it had brought against entities that “bombarded” individuals with millions of illegal robocalls.
Among the enforcement actions from other agencies was a $9 million settlement reached last November between a number of District Attorneys in California and iQor Holdings. A full list of the enforcement actions, many of them dating back to last year, is available here.
Joining the FTC in the operation are the Attorneys General Offices for Alabama, Arizona, Colorado, Florida, Illinois, Indiana, Michigan, Missouri, North Carolina, North Dakota, Ohio, Oregon, Pennsylvania, Texas, and Virginia; the Consumer Protection Divisions of the District Attorneys for the Counties of Los Angeles, San Diego, Riverside, and Santa Clara, California; the Florida Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services; and the Los Angeles City Attorney.
