topic Re: 📞 Robocall Scammer Fined..... 📞 in Community Chat

📞 Robocall Scammer Fined..... 📞

Mz iMac — Wed, 18 Apr 2018 18:16:30 GMT

Alleged robocall scammer tells U.S. Senate he's no 'kingpin'

A Florida man fined $120 million by the FCC for making nearly 100 million illegal robocalls appeared before a Senate hearing Wednesday and denied wrongdoing.

An alleged serial robocaller who was fined $120 million by the FCC denied wrongdoing in testimony before a U. S. Senate Committee Wednesday.

The Federal Communications Commission fined Adrian Abramovich in June last year for allegedly making more than 96 million robocalls during a three-month period in 2016.

The FCC accused the Florida man of allegedly tricking consumers with "exclusive" vacation deals from well-known travel and hospitality companies, like Hilton and Marriott. The agency has said he led "one of the largest — and most dangerous — illegal robocalling campaigns that the Commission has ever investigated."

But Abramovich denied these claims.

"I am not the kingpin of robocalling that is alleged," he said Wednesday appearing before the committee under subpoena, according to a Reuters report.

He denied engaging in "fraudulent activities" and said he was engaging in legitimate telemarketing practices by offering real vacation deals. He declined to answer some questions about his case, invoking his Fifth Amendment right against self-incrimination.

But Senator John Thune, who chairs the Senate Commerce Committee, told Abramovich he had waived his right to avoid answering questions when he discussed his case at the hearing, according to Reuters. Thune warned him he could be held in contempt of Congress if he didn't answer questions.

Consumers get nearly 2.5 billion robocalls a month. The FCC has said it gets more than 200,000 complaints each year about unwanted calls. And the Federal Trade Commission said it received roughly 5.3 million complaints about telemarketing calls in 2016.U.S.

"Americans are mad as hell" that they still get these calls even after efforts by Congress and the FCC to stop them, FCC Chairman Ajit Pai said last year.

The FCC approved new rules to protect consumers against unwanted robocalls In November. And has been working on other ways to limit what they call the "scourge" of unwanted calls. But some lawmakers want the FCC to go further.

Article from Cnet website.

Re: 📞 Robocall Scammer Fined..... 📞

bonnielu — Wed, 18 Apr 2018 18:27:08 GMT

Yippee. Finally someone is getting the message. It is against the law and should not be on us to buy equipment to stop them. Each man for themselves these days.

Re: 📞 Robocall Scammer Fined..... 📞

2blonde — Wed, 18 Apr 2018 18:38:52 GMT

@Mz iMac I sure am happy to see the FTC is at least trying to stop these scumbags. Enough is enough.

Re: 📞 Robocall Scammer Fined..... 📞

Mz iMac — Wed, 18 Apr 2018 18:53:17 GMT

Very few robocalls originate from the US. Those calls can be controlled by the FTC as well as the "Do Not Call" option.

98% of robocalls ORIGINATE OUTSIDE of the U.S. FCC does NOT have "international" jurisdiction. The only government institutions that do are: CIA, MI5&6, Mossad & Scotland Yard.

Re: 📞 Robocall Scammer Fined..... 📞

riley1 — Wed, 18 Apr 2018 19:30:10 GMT

So glad someone finally got caught and fined!

Re: 📞 Robocall Scammer Fined..... 📞

hopi — Wed, 18 Apr 2018 19:38:25 GMT

Yet they seemed okay with Zuckerburg selling Facebook info. When your really loaded you can get away with so much more. They treated him like royalty and his stock soared after the hearings.

Re: 📞 Robocall Scammer Fined..... 📞

Mz iMac — Wed, 18 Apr 2018 20:11:57 GMT

@hopi wrote:
Yet they seemed okay with Zuckerburg selling Facebook info. When your really loaded you can get away with so much more. They treated him like royalty and his stock soared after the hearings.

Most of his responses to Congress: "I have to check w/my team."

Not one of them asked, "Why don't YOU know the answer since you are the creater as well as the owner?"

The hearings were a joke & a sham.

Re: 📞 Robocall Scammer Fined..... 📞

hopi — Wed, 18 Apr 2018 21:09:21 GMT

@Mz iMac wrote:
@hopi wrote:
Yet they seemed okay with Zuckerburg selling Facebook info. When your really loaded you can get away with so much more. They treated him like royalty and his stock soared after the hearings.

Most of his responses to Congress: "I have to check w/my team."
Not one of them asked, "Why don't YOU know the answer since you are the creater as well as the owner?"

The hearings were a joke & a sham.

Guessing he makes many donations on both sides.

Re: 📞 Robocall Scammer Fined..... 📞

Spurt — Wed, 18 Apr 2018 21:19:57 GMT

@Mz iMac

One down and millions to go............

And for the ones overseas they can do nothing about....

Re: 📞 Robocall Scammer Fined..... 📞

Its Me LuLuBelle2 — Wed, 18 Apr 2018 22:19:50 GMT

@Spurt, funny you should mention overseas scammers and our inability to do anything. I've said for years if we threatened the goverments, where these call originate from, with no more US $$$$ foreign aid until they got serious about shutting down their scammers, I bet we'd see a huge decline in very short order.