FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
NEWS RELEASE
June 25, 2019
For media inquiries only, contact:
Mike Lewis (334) 353-2199
Steve Marshall
Joy Patterson (334) 242-7491
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Alabama Attorney General
Attorney General Steve Marshall Announces Crackdown on
Illegal Robocalls
(MONTGOMERY) – Attorney General Steve Marshall announced today that his office has
stopped a Huntsville real-estate-investment company from soliciting business through
improper and misleading robocalls. This announcement comes as part of Operation Call It
Quits, a federal-state coordinated effort to stop illegal robocalls through 87 separate
enforcement actions in 17 states, including Alabama.
On May 28, Attorney General Marshall’s Consumer Interest Division sent a notice of intent
to file a lawsuit against King’s Property Solutions LLC for civil violations of the Alabama
Telemarketing Act, the Alabama Deceptive Trade Practices Act and the federal
Telemarketing Sales Rule. Rather than fighting the Attorney General’s civil enforcement,
the company agreed to stop the robocalls and reform its business practices. On June 16, the
company signed an Assurance of Discontinuance with the Attorney General’s Office,
setting out the terms by which it is to comply with state and federal laws regarding
telephone solicitations.
Unlike many robocalls, these came from an actual company conducting business in
Alabama, rather than unknown scammers trying to trick consumers out of money or
personal information. The Attorney General’s Office alleged that these robocalls were in
violation of federal and state law because many of the recipients were on the National Do
Not Call Registry, the company had failed to get a license from the State for commercial
telephone solicitations, and the messages contained misleading elements.
More than 80 Alabama consumers filed complaints that they had received one of three
recorded messages offering to buy their homes. The calls had a tone of familiarity and
implied that they were meant for the particular consumers or the consumers’ particular
neighborhoods, when in fact they were random robocalls made statewide. The Federal
Trade Commission (FTC) was notified because many of the consumers had registered their
numbers with the Do Not Call List. The FTC shared the information with the Attorney
General’s Office, which investigated the alleged violations, traced the calls to King’s
Property Solutions, and acted to stop the robocalls.
Consumers often face more menacing robocalls in other situations from scammers who
have spoofed their numbers to make it appear the calls are local, attempting to steal money
or personal information that can be sold on the illegal market. Attorney General Marshall
urged the public to exercise vigilance and caution.
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501 Washington Avenue * Montgomery, AL 36104 * (334) 242-7300
www.ago.state.al.us Page 2 of 2
“These days it is almost impossible to escape persistent and annoying robocalls that
interrupt our lives, but there are important precautions you should take to protect
yourselves,” said Attorney General Marshall. “A first step is to register for the Do Not Call
List, but this only stops legitimate telemarketers who are following the law. If you receive a
robocall, do not speak or push any buttons that may let the caller know they have reached a
live person and received a response. Instead, hang up and report the call.”
The FTC’s one-stop location for information about robocalls is http://www.ftc.gov/calls.
The public may sign up for the National Do Not Call Registry and make complaints
through its website http://www.donotcall.gov or by calling 1-888-382-1222 (TTY: 1-866-
290-4236). To make a complaint about a violation of the Do Not Call List, the date of the
phone call and the company’s name or phone number must be included.
In addition to the Alabama Attorney General’s Office, agencies participating in Operation
Call It Quits include the Federal Trade Commission, the U.S. Department of Justice, the
Treasury Inspector General for Tax Administration, and numerous state attorneys general
and various other state agencies.
Attorney General Marshall is also working with a bipartisan group of 39 Attorneys General
to stop or reduce annoying and harmful robocalls. This coalition is focused on the
technology that major telecommunications companies are pursuing to combat illegal
robocalls.
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