FTC brings 100th 'Do Not Call' case

A federal court shut down a robo-calling operation on Monday at the request of the Federal Trade Commission.

The case is the 100th brought by the FTC to enforce its "Do Not Call" rules.

The rules bar telemarketers from calling people who have put their names on the national Do Not Call list or who have explicitly said they do not want to be contacted anymore.

According to the FTC's complaint, the Cuban Exchange Inc. impersonated the FTC and told consumers it could help them get a refund. The FTC said the company claimed it had helped "more than 13,000" people get refunds and even spoofed the FTC’s Consumer Response phone number on people's caller ID devices.

The company directed the consumers to a website that tricked them into disclosing their bank account information and other sensitive financial information, according to the FTC.

In addition to the alleged fraud, the telemarketers called numbers on the Do Not Call list, the FTC said. 

“When the Federal Trade Commission returns money to consumers who have been ripped off, it doesn’t use robocalls, and it certainly doesn’t ask them to provide personal financial information,” David Vladeck, director of the FTC’s Bureau of Consumer Protection, said in a statement. “To anyone hell-bent on breaking the law by making illegal robocalls, transmitting phony Caller ID information, or impersonating a federal agency, we have two words for you: Stop now. The real Federal Trade Commission will come after you."

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