Daily Digest – February 15. FTC Report Summarizes FDCPA Enforcement Actions; Collector Agrees To $700K Settlement After Being Accused of Making Illegal Phone Calls

The Daily Digest is sponsored by TCN, a leading provider of cloud-based call center technology for enterprises, contact centers, BPOs, and collection agencies worldwide. 

FTC REPORT SUMMARIZES FDCPA ENFORCEMENT ACTIVITIES 

• The Federal Trade Commission banned 44 individuals and companies last year and obtained nearly $70 million in judgments as part of its enforcement actions against illegal debt collectors and collection agencies. The FTC released its summary of debt collection enforcement actions as part of the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau’s annual report to congress. Both the FTC and CFPB share enforcement authority of the Fair Debt Collection Practices Act.

COLLECTOR AGREES TO $700K SETTLEMENT AFTER BEING ACCUSED OF MAKING ILLEGAL PHONE CALLS

• While talking about what it did in 2016 yesterday, the FTC also took some 2017 actions, reaching a $700,000 settlement with GC Services over charges that the collector “left phone messages that illegally disclosed purported debts to others without their permission,” when attempting to collect on student loans. The agency continued to call numbers after being told by the individual answering the phone that they did not owe the debt, had called the wrong number, or the individual they were looking for could not be reached at that number.

WORTH NOTING: Conservative Senator Ted Cruz introduced a bill yesterday that would abolish the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau … Your boss might be tracking you every time you get up from your desk. Of course, the flip side of that is … do you want to know every time your employees get up from their desks? … Kate Upton is on the cover of the Sports Illustrated swimsuit edition … A german shepherd named Rumor won the Westminster Dog Show … The best IKEA product of all time is a loveseat … The venues from last summer’s Olympics look a lot worse for wear … What are your rights if a border agent demands to search your phone? … Six things you need to quit doing if you don’t want to waste your life … Who is to blame for poor employee engagement?

Linking to this because it happened two towns over from me

An ultra luxury truck from Mercedes-Benz

If you have a tip or item you would like to share, or are interested in sponsoring the Daily Digest, please contact me at [email protected].

The Daily Digest is sponsored by TCN, a leading provider of cloud-based call center technology for enterprises, contact centers, BPOs, and collection agencies worldwide.