Business, Finance, & Economics: October 2008 Archives

Have a case involving telemarketing?  You may want assistance from a marketing expert to help you and your client interpret two amendments to the FTC Telemarketing Sales Rule which became effective October 1, 2008:

The first is an amendment making explicit a prohibition in the TSR on telemarketing calls that deliver prerecorded messages without a consumer's express written agreement to receive such calls. This amendment also requires that all prerecorded telemarketing calls provide specified opt-out mechanisms so that consumers can opt out of future calls. The amendment is necessary because the reasonable consumer would consider prerecorded telemarketing messages to be coercive or abusive of such consumer's right to privacy.

The second amendment modifies the method for measuring the maximum call abandonment rate prescribed by the TSR's call abandonment safe harbor. The new method will permit sellers and telemarketers to calculate call abandonment rates for a live calling campaign over a thirty-day period, or any part thereof. This amendment is necessary because the current ``per day'' standard effectively precludes the use of predictive dialers with small calling lists. [FR Doc. E8-20253 Filed 8-28-08; 8:45 am]

Fraud expert witness Brian Johnson testified Tuesday in Ottawa at the trial of four people accused of participating in a credit and debit card fraud scheme. OttawaCitizen.com writes:

Johnson, a fraud investigator with TD Canada Trust, testified that an RBC Royal Bank Visa card seized during a police search of Canadian Barcode and Plastic Card Supply Inc. did not have the same security features that would be found on a legitimate card. Mr. Johnson was testifying as an expert witness at the trial of Robert Cattral, 38, Catherine Margaret Brunet, 38, Henry Charles Beauchamp, 39, and Ravi Rabbi Shanghavi, 28. The four have pleaded not guilty to a total of 32 criminal charges, including allegations that they were involved in purchasing, possessing and selling devices that they knew or ought to have known were going to be used for credit card forgery or fraud. Crown prosecutors say Mr. Cattral and Ms. Brunet were co-owners of Canadian Barcode, a Bank Street company that was a front for the alleged criminal organization.