The Federal Trade Commission (FTC) has adopted strict rules that offer protection against telemarketing fraud. These rules require that certain information be given to consumers and prohibit telemarketers from engaging is certain actions:
A telemarketer may not call you if you have previously asked not to be called.
A telemarketer may only call between 8:00 a.m. and 9:00 p.m.
Before starting a sales pitch, the telemarketer must tell you that the call is a sales call, the name of the seller and what is being sold. If it is a prize promotion, the telemarketer must tell you that no purchase or payment is necessary to enter the contest or win the prize.
Telemarketers may not misrepresent any information. All facts must accurately represent the goods or services, investment opportunity or prize.
Before you pay for anything, the telemarketer must tell you the total cost of the goods, any restrictions on getting or using them, and whether the sale is final. In a prize promotion, you must be told the odds of winning and that no purchase or payment is necessary to win. The telemarketer must also inform you of any restrictions or conditions for receiving the prize.
It is illegal for a telemarketer to withdraw money from your checking account without your written, verifiable, authorization.
A telemarketer cannot lie to get you to pay.
Additionally, Alaska laws AS 45.63.010 - AS 45.63.100 and 9 AAC 14.010 - 9 AAC 14.900 requires the telemarketers to be registered with the Alaska Department of Law prior to engaging in telemarketing in the State; and
Prohibits a telemarketer from soliciting payment from a consumer until after the telemarketer receives from the consumer a signed, written contract for the purchase. This means that the telemarketer may not ask for your credit card number over the phone unless you have signed a written contract.
Requires the telemarketer to give the consumer a refund, credit or replacement if:
the consumer returns the property with a written request, within 7 days after receiving the property; or
the property is defective, not as represented, or is not received as promised buy the seller;
Prohibits a telemarketer from obtaining from a buyer a waiver of the buyer's rights under the telemarketing law