Illinois Federal Court Issues Injunction and $28.7 Million Judgment Against Telemarketing Operation

On January 31, the Federal Trade Commission announced that a federal court in Illinois entered final orders against a telemarketing company and its owners as part of a judgment against an allegedly illegal telemarketing scheme.

In the lawsuit, the FTC accused the defendants of making millions of illegal, unsolicited calls to people who were registered on the Do Not Call Registry. The Court granted summary judgment in favor of the FTC in September, finding that the corporate defendants had bought consumers’ contact information from websites claiming to help people find jobs but instead used those numbers to market unsolicited vocational or post-secondary education services. The Court further found that the individual defendants knowingly violated the Telemarketing Sales Rule after ignoring repeated complaints from consumers and warnings from business partners.

The final order holds both the corporate and individual defendants liable for $28.7 million in civil penalties​. The order also bans defendants from participating in telemarketing or assisting and facilitating others engaged in telemarketing to consumers.