Federal regulators are close to filing lawsuits against companies believed to be behind a national wave of spam "robocalls" that warn people that their auto warranties are about to expire, reports the Associated Press. The Federal Trade Commission has inquiries underway into several companies involved in the deceptive calls, and "law enforcement action in this area can be expected imminently," FTC Chairman Jon Leibowitz said Monday in a letter to Sen. Charles Schumer, D-N.Y.
The FTC also is providing an electronic link on its homepage for consumers to file complaints, Liebowitz said. Schumer had asked for an investigation by the agency into what he calls a scam of "robo-dialer harassment." The message "Your Car Warranty Has Expired" already has brought some 300,000 complaints nationwide, according to Schumer. The calls come even if the consumer has signed up for the national Do Not Call registry, which is operated by the FTC.
Posted by cindy hawkins-legorreta
Tuesday, May 12, 2009 02:38
My husband and I happen to have three phones. One in the house, and each of us has a cell so we can remain in touch. Lucky us! We are NOW getting these “auto warranty about to expire” calls on all THREE phones! They always come during dinner, and there’s never an actual person on the line you can tell off, only some dumb recording in a cheerful voice, telling us about our car, which actually is in storage down South! What a pain in the butt!