The Federal Trade Commission’s national “Do Not Call Registry” and its new interactive web database illustrates the plague of illegal robocalls and the need to rein in what is now more than an annoyance. The visuals in the web data base show nearly 30 calls for every person in the country, with nearly 16 million complaints from consumers gathered in the last three years. The most common complaint? Calls claiming their firms can “reduce debt” for consumers. It’s not surprising that many such calls are from bad actors seeking to take advantage of vulnerable consumers. That’s why AFSA has long promoted pro-consumer policies that protect them from unscrupulous firms that overpromise on debt relief, overcharge for their “services” and drive their clients into bankruptcies that further hinder their financial health. The Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB) has even warned about the dangers of these companies.
AFSA is focused on both of these issues to ensure that consumers can receive timely and important phone calls from their financial institutions.