FTC Cracking Down On Car Warranty Robocall Scammers

from the about-time dept

It was just last week that we questioned why the FTC hadn't been able to track down the scammers behind the "this is the 2nd notice that the warranty on your car is about to expire" robocalls. Apparently, we were just a little anxious. On Thursday, the FTC filed complaints against two of the companies involved in the scam, noting that they were apparently placing 1.8 million calls per day, with no regard for the Do Not Call List. Apparently, the scam has already brought in $10 million from people who were duped, though the FTC is trying to get all that money back.
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Filed Under: car warranty, ftc, robocalls, scams


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  1. icon
    lavi d (profile), 15 May 2009 @ 1:35pm

    Fed Up

    A couple of weeks ago, I got tired of these people calling my work number and then my cell phone. I was especially irked that they were spoofing the caller ID.

    I decided to try and find something out about them. The next time they called, I insisted on having their number. The woman I was talking to told me she would take my number off their list and hung up.

    The next time they called, I went along. I gave over my car make/model/year and home address. I got to some woman who told me that they would provide me coverage, all I had to do was give them a CC number. I then told them that I wanted to be billed and I wanted a copy of the coverage along with the invoice. They hung up.

    They called twice more, and both times I asked to be removed from their list.

    I haven't heard from since the week before the Reddit guy busted them.

    link to this | view in thread ]

  2. identicon
    al, 15 May 2009 @ 2:30pm

    same group has shifted to "lower cc interest rates" even more dangerous as they want cc info .... scum bags!!!

    link to this | view in thread ]

  3. identicon
    scott, 15 May 2009 @ 3:00pm

    ABOUT FUCKING TIME, FCC!!!

    These pricks have called my home at least 30 times in the last year. Assholes.

    link to this | view in thread ]

  4. identicon
    scott, 15 May 2009 @ 3:04pm

    should have been "FTC" in my prev post...

    link to this | view in thread ]

  5. icon
    Grae (profile), 15 May 2009 @ 3:17pm

    Re: Fed Up

    She hung up because she would have been fired if she told you anything. See the article on Ars Technica: toward the bottom is a blurb from the Training Manual of just one of the Telemarketing firms involved.

    http://arstechnica.com/tech-policy/news/2009/05/ftc-nukes-extended-warranty-robocallers -from-orbit.ars

    link to this | view in thread ]

  6. identicon
    Harry, 15 May 2009 @ 3:20pm

    If this was "one of the most aggressive" of all time, what took them so long to put a stop to it? I've been getting these calls for at least 6 months.

    link to this | view in thread ]

  7. identicon
    OldGeek, 15 May 2009 @ 3:21pm

    Lucky

    30 times in the last year??? We get about 30 calls a week!!! Then again in the last year we had to purchased two cars (the old ones just didn't make it).

    link to this | view in thread ]

  8. identicon
    Mapes, 15 May 2009 @ 3:23pm

    Was being pestered all the time by these aholes. Finally pressed one to be sent to a rep. The guy does his spiel and I ask why are you committing a crime calling this number that is on the DNR. The guy responds by a Brooklyn Hello. For some reason I just found it hilarious...

    link to this | view in thread ]

  9. identicon
    Anonymous Coward, 15 May 2009 @ 3:45pm

    Re: Lucky

    Then again in the last year we had to purchased two cars (the old ones just didn't make it).

    See, you should have bought the extended warranty!

    link to this | view in thread ]

  10. identicon
    joe, 15 May 2009 @ 4:06pm

    Case is solved...here's who's doing it.. (yes, really!)

    They caught the B@#$%%!!!

    http://dockets.justia.com/docket/court-ilndce ... case_id-231495/

    Did some research

    Here's their (Network Foundations) number, (312) 235-2400 call them...use *67 if you want to block your number from them--I'm going to call them several times a day!

    ...here's the other owner's Name and address
    Don't have a phone number for them ...Yet... maybe just drop by if in the area...

    Voice Touch , Owners
    James A and Maureen Dunne
    22 Promenade At Lionspaw
    Daytona Beach, FL 32124-1500
    Voice Touch , Owner

    link to this | view in thread ]

  11. identicon
    joe, 15 May 2009 @ 4:09pm

    corrected docket link

    Sorry, here's the docket link:

    http://dockets.justia.com/docket/court-ilndce ... case_id-231495/

    link to this | view in thread ]

  12. identicon
    joe, 15 May 2009 @ 4:13pm

    won't let me put the link

    use the above and type 'network foundations' as the party...click on info.

    link to this | view in thread ]

  13. identicon
    Thomas, 15 May 2009 @ 5:12pm

    surprised

    Maybe they forgot to send the monthly bribe money to the FCC and now they're getting payback.

    link to this | view in thread ]

  14. identicon
    Hahahahaha..., 15 May 2009 @ 5:16pm

    Hahahahahahaaaaaa

    "the scam has already brought in $10 million from people who were duped"

    At what point did those dumb people get convinced to give an automated voice all their information without any identification of who it was working for? Before they checked their warranty information, after they checked it, or after they received their second notice for the Nth time? I agree, the scammers should be legally forced to give up all the money, but the victims don't deserve any of it back. Clearly it would make more sense to go to education funding so this doesn't happen to their offspring.

    And someone else mentioned they think they got 30 calls a week cuz of the 2 new cars, nope, you got 30 calls a week cuz you're plain unlucky like me. I got a bare minimum of 2 calls per day since November, and I do NOT own a car, nor have I ever purchased a car. Also, nobody in my immediate family and nobody at my living address have purchased a new car in over 10 years. There was absolutely 0 possible reasonable or unreasonable methods to which they could decide spamming me to scam me over a car warranty made sense.

    You and I are just unlucky people who got to be annoyed more.

    link to this | view in thread ]

  15. identicon
    Anonymous Coward, 15 May 2009 @ 7:01pm

    Re: Hahahahahahaaaaaa

    What an asshole

    link to this | view in thread ]

  16. identicon
    The Cenobyte, 15 May 2009 @ 10:37pm

    forget the money

    They need to go to jail. Anyone in charge needs to go to jail. Most of the people working the phones need to go to jail cause I have done some legal telemarketing in my day and everyone knows what the 'scam' is. (It was the 90s, laws where loose on who we could call and we did deliver the product we sold them, just didn't cost us much to make) Getting the money back to people would be nice, but first let’s start putting them in jail. Once a few dozen of them are in jail the next guys will think twice, and these boiler room call centers will be much harder to staff.

    And umm where the frak was the FCC/FBI. I mean how many months does this go on before they start worring about enforcing the law? $10 million before they really do anything. They are using the public phone network it couldn't be that hard to find them.

    link to this | view in thread ]

  17. identicon
    Anonymous Coward, 16 May 2009 @ 7:35am

    Send them to jail
    Yep, that's the answer to everything

    What's that you say ?
    The jails are full and we need to increase taxes ? - No way !

    Headlines: Convicts released early due to overcrowding
    Most of them were non-violent when the were sent to jail, but who knows now ...

    link to this | view in thread ]

  18. icon
    John (profile), 17 May 2009 @ 1:03pm

    The bigger issue...

    ... is how and why these companies continue to operate. Obviously someone somewhere thinks it's more profitable to robo-call millions of people it is to just not do it. And what happens when they call? Do they get a fine? How much? Is a $10 million fine pocket-change and a "cost of doing business" compared to the millions they'll get from people who paid for the "warranty"?

    If you're on the Do Not Call list *and* the calling company is hiding their number, what action can you take? Even if you report them to the FTC, will anything really happen? Supposedly, this company had been calling people for months. Did no one complain to the FTC? Did it take the FTC this long to finally figure catch up to them?

    link to this | view in thread ]

  19. identicon
    Xanthir, FCD, 18 May 2009 @ 10:50am

    Re: The bigger issue...

    Supposedly, this company had been calling people for months. Did no one complain to the FTC? Did it take the FTC this long to finally figure catch up to them?

    Apparently, yes. The companies went out of their way to hide themselves, setting up offshore shell companies and such. It seems it really did take the FTC a while to gather sufficient witnesses and evidence to take them to trial and be sure of hitting them.

    link to this | view in thread ]

  20. identicon
    madhamster, 2 Jun 2009 @ 4:33pm

    robo call

    i would love to post the phone #s of the principals of this warranty is about to expire co James and Maureen Dunne on line for every one to call and harass now would that not be poetic Justis

    link to this | view in thread ]

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