The FTC has revised the Telemarketing Sales Rule (TSR) to strengthen consumer protections from tech support scammers
Previously, the FTC could only take legal action when scammers called consumers directly. Now, it has the ability to take action even when consumers are the ones who first contact scammers.
See more: FTC: Investigating Microsoft's antitrust practices in the cloud?
Tech support scammers have been on the rise in recent years. Scammers send deceptive messages, such as emails and pop-ups, that convince consumers that they are experiencing problems, such as viruses, and lead them to call a support center. There, they trick them into paying for nonexistent “support services.”
The FTC has tried to recover money from scammers, but a 2021 Supreme Court decision, known as AMG Capital Management, LLC v. FTC, limited its ability to do so. Without changes to the rules, the FTC could only prosecute companies that made outbound calls, leaving many consumers unprotected.
With the revision to the TSR, “technical support services” are no longer exempt from the rules. The FTC now also addresses deceptive pop-up technical support notifications.
Read also: FTC: Investigation into Microsoft's antitrust practices in the cloud?
Consumers over the age of 60 are five times more likely to fall victim to these tech support scammers, with reported losses exceeding $175 million. Earlier this year, the FTC reported that fake “Geek Squad” calls were the top scam, causing $15 million in losses.
Source: theverge
🔒 Protect your privacy with Proton VPN
Swiss VPN from the creators of Proton Mail — strict no-logs policy, strong encryption, and built-in NetShield that blocks ads, trackers, & malware.
- ✔ No-logs, based in Switzerland (except 14-Eyes)
- ✔ NetShield: blocks ads, trackers & malicious domains
- ✔ Covers all devices — free version available
The link is an affiliate link — SecNews may receive a commission at no additional cost to you. It does not affect the independence of our article writing.
