WASHINGTON, D.C. — The Federal Trade Commission (FTC) has just released its biennial report to Congress detailing the state of the National Do Not Call (DNC) Registry. According to the report, over the past two years, the number of consumers who have registered their telephone numbers to avoid telemarketing calls has soared to more than 249 million.
However, despite the growing number of individuals seeking refuge from unwanted calls, the FTC recorded over two million DNC complaints in the fiscal year 2023. The majority of these complaints pertained to violations via robocalls rather than live telemarketing.
The report noted that imposter scams, medical needs, and prescription scam calls topped the list of commonly reported call topics in FY 2023. These were closely followed by calls related to debt reduction and energy, solar, and utilities. In response to the rising number of public complaints about impersonator scams, the FTC continues to enforce rules to combat business and government impersonation fraud.
The FTC’s data spotlight, issued in June 2023, found that text message scams often masquerade as bogus bank fraud warnings. Many of these deceptive messages impersonate well-known businesses, further highlighting the evolving sophistication of scam tactics.
Emerging technologies have significantly impacted the DNC Registry and those who interact with it. Innovations such as Voice over Internet Protocol (VoIP) services enable callers, including lawbreakers, to make high volumes of calls inexpensively from anywhere globally. Moreover, these developments allow illegal telemarketers to manipulate caller ID information, thus concealing their identities from consumers. The FTC’s report outlines how its enforcement initiatives have adapted to these technological shifts.
The report also provides an update on other DNC-related enforcement actions. These include the FTC’s pursuit of VoIP service providers who facilitate illegal calls through its Project Point of No Entry, lawsuits against platforms and soundboard technology providers, and July 2023’s Operation Stop Scam Calls. This operation was a coordinated sweep involving over 180 actions brought by more than 100 federal and state law enforcement partners.
The FTC has also held four public challenges to encourage private-sector development of technological solutions to combat illegal robocalls, reflecting the Commission’s proactive approach to this persistent issue.
At the end of FY 2023, the DNC Registry had 249.5 million active registrations, up by more than 2.7 million from the previous fiscal year. The report indicates that in FY 2022, 2,116 businesses and other entities paid over $14.3 million to access the Registry, with 1,963 entities paying more than $14.9 million in FY 2023.
The FTC also publishes an annual Do Not Call Registry Data Book, providing detailed registration numbers and other statistical information about the Registry. This information is also available on the FTC’s Tableau public page, which is updated regularly and offers interactive data down to state or county level.
In a unanimous decision, the Commission approved the report and its submission to Congress. The staff attorney on this matter is Ami Dziekan from the FTC’s Bureau of Consumer Protection.
The report highlights the continued nuisance of robocalls and scam calls, despite the growing number of consumers opting for the DNC Registry. It also emphasizes the FTC’s ongoing efforts to curb these violations, adapt to technological developments, and safeguard consumers in an ever-evolving landscape of communication technologies.
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