(c) Compliance dateparagraph (a) of this section contains a voluntary information collection. Police Officers each day protect and preserve life and property where they work and live. We do not support any similar activities now, and will not in the future., A Microsoft spokesperson said: We condemn the actions taken by the RLDF and are raising our concerns directly with RAGA. We also have a process for obtaining information from certain public entities: Federal and state law enforcement agencies routinely coordinate with the Enforcement Bureau about robocall and caller ID spoofing enforcement and mitigation efforts. Some of the most aggressive actions against allegedly deceptive PACs and their fundraisers have come from state or local law enforcement officials. And while law enforcement agencies, including the U.S. Department of Justice, have hit some alleged bad actors withfraud charges, it generally is only when they have tried to conceal where the funds were going, said Adav Noti, a former Federal Election Commission lawyer and now chief of staff at the Washington D.C.-based Campaign Legal Center, a nonpartisan organization of specialists in election law. Each document posted on the site includes a link to the Two of the fundraising companies identified by Reuters employed jail inmates and ex-cons as telemarketers, according to interviews in Alabama with several former employees, as well as court records. or to request reasonable accommodations ( Even as they charmed millions from credulous donors, a dozen former callers for two major fundraisers told Reuters that they knew their companies would be keeping the vast majority of it. 801(a)(1)(A). 2. 4. Most of the guys that are real good are felons., Regulators responsible for protecting U.S. consumers from potentially unscrupulous fundraisers face a bedeviling new challenge: the scam PAC.. 6. Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995 Analysis. Listen Transcript Hello, good evening. daniel.stepanicich@fcc.gov. Lisa Cavazuti is an investigative reporter for the NBC News Investigative Unit. Blue / Bloomberg via Getty Images. A week later, Armstrong said, he was rehired to help raise money for political action committees. establishing the XML-based Federal Register as an ACFR-sanctioned Stop robocalls with Nomorobo Its infuriating, said Angelides, who learned from Reuters that it was a PAC that got his money. Delany De Leon-Colon, postal inspector in charge of the USPS Criminal Investigation Unit, explained how the elderly are particularly likely to fall for robocall . I dont think you understand how hard it is to fundraise, said Forrest Sandusky Baker IV, a telemarketing professional. The authority citation for part 64 continues to read as follows: Authority: Adam Piper, the executive director of the Republican Attorneys General Association, and Peter Bisbee, the executive director of the fundraising arm, did not return requests for comment about the robocalls, which were first reported by the watchdog group Documented. Start Printed Page 52843 The Consumer and Governmental Affairs Bureau uses this Congress did not define private entity in the TRACED Act. are not part of the published document itself. 26. (k) Perform such other functions as may be assigned or referred to it by the Commission. 801(a)(1)(A). These markup elements allow the user to see how the document follows the A web of new political action committees raised nearly $6 million in recent months under the guise of supporting police, veterans and . The committees treasurer, attorney Chris Marston, told Reuters the purpose of the PAC was to raise money in support of candidates who would help police and firefighters., Im sure the [call] scripts didnt misrepresent anything, Marston said. In fact, scam PAC operators and fundraisers are often old hands of the charity world, with a history of run-ins with regulators, state and federal records show. The groups share funding, staff and office space in Washington, D.C. [FR Doc. Baker said he founded Salt Lake City fundraising firm American Public Resource because he hoped to support worthy goals like helping veterans.The firm was paid nearly $3 million from 2017 through mid-2019 for its work raising money for PACS that spent anywhere from 0% to 7% on their promoted causes. Federal Register provide legal notice to the public and judicial notice documents in the last year, 513 Final Regulatory Flexibility Analysis. or call the Consumer and Governmental Affairs Bureau at 202-418-0530 (voice). It will be submitted to the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) for review under section 3507(d) of the PRA. Some telemarketers who claim to be raising money for causes like homeless veterans and cancer victims work for political action committees (PACs), not charities, and keep much of the money they raise. Second, we find that establishing a stand-alone process designed specifically to handle concerns from private entities ( Here it would be virtually impossible for the consumer to do any research, he said. We find that adopting a distinct intake process for private entities best satisfies the statutory language, while integrating it with the existing process managed by the Consumer and Governmental Affairs Bureau will reduce administrative costs and consumer confusion. About the Federal Register Commenters suggested that the Commission consolidate the new portal and its existing informal consumer complaint process, which the Consumer and Governmental Affairs Bureau administers, or better distinguish the two processes by defining private entity to exclude consumers. It is further ordered On its website, this organization says you can be removed from its call list by completing this form . An arm of the Republican Attorneys General Association, a national group representing the top law enforcement officers in their states, sent out robocalls encouraging people to march to the U.S. Capitol the day before the building was stormed by a pro-Trump mob. Federal Register issue. (562) 512-7043 is a Fake Police Charity Robocall Do not answer. To achieve this objective, we direct the Enforcement Bureau to create and monitor an online portal located on the Commission We agree with commenters that including individuals within the definition of private entity would undermine the intent of the statute to streamline information collection about robocalls and spoofed calls, and would create confusion for consumers about whether to use the existing informal complaint process or the new portal, or both. 21. I was unaware of unauthorized decisions made by RLDF staff with regard to this weeks rally, said Marshall, who assumed his role Nov. 10. announcing that compliance date and revising this paragraph accordingly. The calls always seem to come when you least expect it. We could no longer say, We are helping police officers get body armor, but we could say, We are supporting efforts to get them body armor, said Jackie Armstrong, 32, a former Politicause employee. This site displays a prototype of a Web 2.0 version of the daily Black's Law Dictionary defines entity as [a]n organization (such as a business or a governmental unit) that has a legal identity apart from its members or owners. Second, we find that, as a policy matter, we should exclude individuals from the definition of private entity as the term is used in section 10(a) of the TRACED Act. CTIA, SAFE Credit Union (SAFE), Twilio, Inc., and USTelecom-The Broadband Association (USTelecom) filed comments. During today's hearing, the Committee heard from local law enforcement, the U.S. to the courts under 44 U.S.C. To request this document in accessible formats for people with disabilities ( The portal will request private entities to submit certain minimum information including, but not necessarily limited to, the name of the reporting private entity, contact information, including at least one individual name and means of contacting the entity ( 3. Robocalls and the Do Not Call Registry. Delegated Authority. All said they thought they were giving to a charity. The fundraising operation used corporate names including Charity Promotions, from 2013 to 2016, and Charity Appeal, from 2016 to 2018, according to several ex-employee interviews and state filings. documents in the last year, 20 And the groups they were raising money for werent charities at all, but political action committees, which normally are set up to gather funds for candidates or political causes. that the Commission Appendix A, Demonstrators attempt to breach the U.S. Capitol on Jan. 6, 2021. Caller type: Scammer/Fraudster. legal research should verify their results against an official edition of In recent years, some telemarketers have used technology to bombard consumers with hundreds of millions of prerecorded calls that are often unwanted and frequently deceptive. 05/04/2018 05:04 AM EDT. Those two fundraising firms, whose ownership is not clear, dissolved Pledge Assistance in July 2018 and Politicause in June 2019, according to Wyoming records. Spot the latest COVID scams, get compliance guidance, and stay up to date on FTC actions during the pandemic. Coffee is for Closers Only, read another. Former callers at both TPFE and Politicause said they were given scripts and FAQs that required them to mention that the groups were political action committees but were told by managers to glide past the disclosures about who was calling and how the money would be used. Our past robocall enforcement actions have relied extensively upon information from private entities. In this Issue, Documents At the time Reuters visited, the firms Hoover call center was jammed with desks and callers on headsets. daniel.stepanicich@fcc.gov. A Rule by the Federal Communications Commission on 09/23/2021. the current document as it appeared on Public Inspection on Sections 64.1204(a) and 64.1606(a) contain new or modified information collection requirements that require review by OMB under the PRA. In the 2 year period examined by Reuters, records show, TPFE and three other Zeitlin firms earned more than $27.6 million for PAC fundraising. It wouldve been nice to know that my money was going to a PAC, not a charity, and that it wasnt going to actually help police and firefighters directly.. Laura Strickler is a senior investigative producer and reporter for NBC News. The calls, which often target elderly donors, come from a variety of generic and similar-sounding aliases: The Police Officers Support Association, the National Emergency Responders Coalition and. Good evening this is Mike Stevens calling for the . on FederalRegister.gov Another enforcement action relied extensively on information from an industry group, the USTelecom's Industry Traceback Group (Traceback Group). Some political fundraising operations change locations frequently, operate under different names or dissolve and resurface under another name, making it difficult to trace their ownership, activities and connections to one another. Definition of Private Entity. after OMB completes its review, and directs the Enforcement Bureau to cause 64.1204 and 64.1606 to be revised accordingly. There should be more transparency on this to protect consumers, he said. Scam PAC telemarketers who use aggressive tactics in the charity realm also face less risk of scrutiny or sanction when they turn to PAC fundraising, regulators and former callers said. Private entity submissions of spoofing violations. Federal Register To protect law enforcement methods and techniques, we decline to adopt SAFE Credit Union's suggestion to detail the exact steps and criteria that the Bureau will use to evaluate the information submitted. More information and documentation can be found in our You are not lying, but you are being extremely misleading. In the Pallone-Thune Telephone Robocall Abuse Criminal Enforcement and Deterrence Act (TRACED Act), Congress directed the Commission to establish regulations to create a process that "streamlines the ways in which a private entity may voluntarily share with the Commission information relating to" a call or text message that violates . Eric Friedman, the Montgomery County consumer protection offices director, said he used his countys laws prohibiting deceptive trade practices to win the settlement. Learn more here. 16. e.g., Caller name: Committee for Police Officer's Defense. provide legal notice to the public or judicial notice to the courts. documents in the last year, by the Executive Office of the President The Commission will send a copy of this Report and Order to Congress and the Government Accountability Office pursuant to 5 U.S.C. Our mission is protecting consumers and competition by preventing anticompetitive, deceptive, and unfair business practices through law enforcement, advocacy, and education without unduly burdening legitimate business activity. In this document, the Federal Communications Commission (Commission) adopts rules to implement the Pallone-Thune Telephone Robocall Abuse Criminal Enforcement and Deterrence Act (TRACED Act) to streamline the process by which private entities may submit information to the Commission about violations of the Communications Act. We had no knowledge of RAGAs association with the Rule of Law fund or any connection in the January 6 insurrectionists storm on the U.S. Capitol, spokesperson Brandon Scott said in a statement. Together Politicause and Pledge Assistance earned close to $20 million between January 2017 through mid-2019 raising money for PACS, campaign finance records show. The workers said Politicause managers eventually reined in that practice, requiring them to instead say that at least 10% went to the cause. Search the Legal Library instead. She said she would like to see the panel mandate more disclosure to donors about how much of their money is going to fundraisers, as well as stronger fraud protections in federal campaign law. But Lee Goodman, an election lawyer and former commissioner who is a Republican, said its dangerous for the government to decide which committees are scams based on how much they spend on causes. I have directed an internal review of this matter.. Start Printed Page 52842 POLICE OFFICERS DEFENSE ALLIANCE PAC. New Documents They said it was not uncommon to find needles in the bathroom or a caller passed out at his desk. The callers said theyd already honed their charity pitches and so found it easy to repurpose them for the political committees, appealing to patriotism and what one called pulling heartstrings.. not individual consumers) about robocalls and spoofing best aligns with the TRACED Act requirement. Ultimately, changes must come at the federal level, said Ellen Weintraub, a Democrat who chairs the Federal Election Commission. As a fundraiser for charities, Zeitlin ran into trouble with regulators. We recognize that consumers might mistakenly file complaints through the new streamlined process rather than the existing consumer complaint process. Although the portal will not reject submissions that fail to include the above information, such failure will make it more difficult for the Bureau to investigate fully and take appropriate enforcement action. Committee type: Super PAC (Independent Expenditure-Only) Committee designation: Unauthorized. Memo from Chair Lina M. Khan to commission staff and commissioners regarding the vision and priorities for the FTC. The "Committee for Police Officer's Defense" (CPOD) was configured to help police officers fight against the continuing "War on Cops" by taking a varied political stance against politicians, activist judges, prosecutors, district attorneys and a host of others who try to bring police officers down by any means. 47 U.S.C. Thus, if Congress had intended to include individuals, we presume that it would have used the term person. Moreover, in other statutes the term private entity is often used to refer to organizations rather than individuals. website. Compliance with the requirements of that information collection will not be required until after approval by the Office of Management and Budget. that, pursuant to 1.4(b)(1) and 1.427(a) of the Commission's rules, 47 CFR 1.4(b)(1), 1.427(a), this Report and Order and the amendments to parts 0 and 64 of the Commission's rules, as set forth in An arm of the Republican Attorneys General Association, a national group representing the top law enforcement officers in their . Date Blocked March 12, 2022 Call Activity Low Last detected 10 months ago Block this robocall and over 6,210,974 more! Police officer's scam robocall warning goes viral The "GMA" team of insiders analyzes some of the biggest stories trending this morning. It is not an official legal edition of the Federal Paxtons office did not respond to a request for comment. In a small Alabama town at the edge of the Talladega National Forest, next to a Chinese restaurant, stands a shop with mirrored windows and no signs. shall send offers a preview of documents scheduled to appear in the next day's We released a Notice of Proposed Rulemaking ( More Reuters investigations and long-form narratives, Got a confidential news tip? In interviews, a dozen former employees of Politicause and Zeitlins TPFE described techniques they used to wrangle donations, leaving contributors with the impression they were giving to good causes. documents in the last year, 11 edition of the Federal Register. As required by the Regulatory Flexibility Act of 1980, as amended (RFA), the Commission has prepared a Final Regulatory Flexibility Analysis (FRFA) relating to this Report and Order. It spent $103,700 on behalf of House candidates about 3% of the total, and it has contributed nothing directly to veterans groups. 227(e). (Super PACs are a type of political action committee that faces no limits on spending or contributions, by virtue of court decisions a decade ago.). The Committee for Police Officer's Defense works diligently to bring awareness to the fact that when these anti-police officials seek to regain public office, remain seated on the bench, or hold office- they create a dangerous environment for our upstanding men and women in blue. i.e., They called 4 times in one day. When she later realized it was a PAC telemarketer, she felt exploited. In the In the Pallone-Thune Telephone Robocall Abuse Criminal Enforcement and Deterrence Act (TRACED Act), Congress directed the Commission to establish regulations to create a process that streamlines the ways in which a private entity may voluntarily share with the Commission information relating to a call or text message that violates prohibitions regarding robocalls or spoofing set forth section 227(b) and 227(e) of the Communications Act of 1934, as amended. She is based in Washington. Commenters raise concerns that the new streamlined portal will create consumer confusion or duplicate current processes. Contact Information P.O. These workers were a convenient labor pool and skilled at getting people to open their wallets, former callers said. SOURCE: National Consumer Law Center, Federal Trade Commission. No Impact on Informal Consumer Complaint Process. 1503 & 1507. While acknowledging that every industry has its bad apples,he wrote: To this day it strikes me as odd that an industry that has over the years hired hundreds of thousands of people (perhaps millions), many of whom had trouble holding down more traditional day jobs, would become such a punching bag for the government and the media.. Going byvarious names, the fundraising operation has worked for some of the same PACs as Zeitlins firms have and has employed some of the same people, according to internal PAC records, state corporate filings, employee interviews and deposition testimony in a civil case unrelated to this article. documents in the last year, 853 727-351-8757 "Committee for Police Officer Defense" illegal-telemarketing, likely a SCAM- this guy will call you daily, weekends, nights too, over and over from ever changing different numbers & using different fund names. Reuters Investigates offers several ways to securely contact our reporters. In addition, public entities often contact Enforcement Bureau staff directly about robocalling and spoofing matters. Callers told Reuters they easily made the switch, working in the same buildings, for the same bosses, using similar scripts. The FTC declined to comment. At Politicause, for instance, some said they initially were told to say donations would be used to help buy new police and fire equipment.