Crawford Bill Cracking Down on Predatory Telemarketing and Scammers Passes House Vote (Springfield, IL) – State Rep. Mike Crawford, D-Chicago, is working to protect older adults and working families from scams by passing new legislation out of the House to combat companies who solicit seniors and families with nuisance and often fraudulent automated telemarketing calls.
“Little to no protections exist to protect our most vulnerable members of our community from the often fraudulent and alarmist telemarketing schemes they contend with on a daily basis,” Crawford said. “While some can ignore these calls, many seniors on critical energy and medical programs are often tricked into handing over their personal information to keep their benefits, when no such threat exists. These calls also distract attention away from calls that may be meant to convey an emergency, outage, or information from companies that community members know and trust; that is entirely unacceptable, but this legislation seeks to curtail these schemes.”
Crawford’s House Bill 2435 cracks down on companies who solicit callers with goods or services unless explicit consent is given to receive automated solicitation or consumers have an existing business relationship. Current law allows registered salespersons and auto dialers to circumvent prohibitions on solicitation, even after recipients asked to be removed from their call lists. Crawford’s legislation allows people to revoke their consent at any time and creates the possibility of $500 in damages per violation.
“I am honored to have made one of my first bills as a State Representative a direct response to the concerns in my community. I am looking forward to seeing this legislation approved in the Senate and signed by the Governor.”
For more information, visit ILGA.gov.
Crawford Bill Cracking Down on Predatory Telemarketing and Scammers Passes House Vote
