Moody: Biden’s FTC Must Do More to Protect Consumers
August 3, 2022 Updated 3:47 P.M. ET
TALLAHASSEE (FLV) – Wednesday, Florida Attorney General Ashley Moody urged the Federal Trade Commission, under the purview of the Biden Administration, to provide better protections for Americans against predatory telemarketing practices and negative-option sales.
Negative-option sales is when sellers use a consumer’s failure to take affirmative action, for example, rejecting an offer or canceling an agreement, to charge for more products/services.
“More transparency is needed to better protect consumers from negative-option contract renewals and predatory telemarketing practices. I am calling on the FTC to repeal federal exemptions related to telemarketing calls and provide additional protections for consumers who purchase negative-option products and services,” Moody said.
Telemarketing Sales Rule, in effect since 1995, helps prevent telemarketers from harassing and scamming consumers.
Moody sent a letter to Acting FTC Secretary April Tabor with 39 other attorneys general calling for expansion of the TSR to cover business-to-business and inbound calls. To read the full letter, click here.
Attorney General Moody and the attorneys general of the following states and territories signed on to the letter: Alaska, Arizona, California, Colorado, Connecticut, Delaware, the District of Columbia, Georgia, Hawaii, Idaho, Illinois, Iowa, Kansas, Kentucky, Louisiana, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, Michigan, Minnesota, Mississippi, Nebraska, Nevada, New Jersey, New Mexico, New York, North Carolina, North Dakota, Ohio, Oregon, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, South Carolina, South Dakota, Vermont, Virginia, Washington and Wisconsin.
