Schumer Wants FTC Investigation into Telemarketers

Placing your phone number on the federal "Do Not Call" list was supposed to be the end of unwanted sales calls, but the government's war on telemarketing seems to be going about as well as the war on drugs. But here comes the cavalry! Senator Chuck Schumer says he's "had enough"—after getting a robocall about fraudulent car warranty renewals during a health care meeting on Capitol Hill last week, he held a Sunday press conference to demand a Federal Trade Commission investigation into the businesses behind the calls.

According to Schumer, The Better Business Bureau has fielded tens of thousands of complaints about the calls from around the country. He says "scam artists" are preying on people "who are worried about cars and car warranties right now with all the trouble that Chrysler and GM are having, so people think it's legit. These people have nothing to do with extending your car warranty." Several state agencies are investigating the calls, but Schumer says a federal investigation is in order because a company banned from doing business in one state can still make calls to residents of other states, the Times reports.

Newsday examines the irritating calls that have plagued Long Island resident Janet Cucharo, who gets the car warranty calls at least once a week. Cucharo says, "They're invading my privacy big time. I felt like calling the police the other day. But, oh yeah, what are the police going to do?" According to Newsday, she prefers to vent about the calls on Craigslist, but when we tried to find her "rants and raves," we instead turned up this unrelated, depressing Jeremiad, which begins, "Today I went and picked up my Mother from the airport and gave her a ride home," and ends with, "I might as well be the invisible man. Life sucks..."