Markets Wired

An administrator working for the Federal Trade Commission began mailing claim forms today to 11,780 people defrauded by illegal auto “warranty” robocalls made by Voice Touch, Inc., and its related individuals and entities. The Federal Trade Commission alleged that Transcontinental Warranty, Inc., the company selling the so-called warranties, hired Voice Touch to bombard U.S. consumers with millions of deceptive prerecorded calls in 2009. As a result of settlements reached by the Federal Trade Commission, funds now are available to return to consumers who purchased “warranties” from Transcontinental.

Consumers who receive the forms will have 60 days to complete them and return them to the claims administrator, Analytics, Inc., at the address listed on the forms. The amount of refunds will be determined after consumers return their forms.

Under a series of settlements with the FTC, the various Voice Touch and Transcontinental Warranty defendants were permanently banned from telemarketing. They also were prohibited from making any prerecorded calls like the millions they allegedly used to trick consumers into buying extended service contracts under the guise that they were extensions of original vehicle warranties. The Voice Touch defendants also were required to pay approximately $3 million for consumer refunds.

According to the FTC, Transcontinental was one of several companies for which Voice Touch blasted auto warranty robocalls, which generated a flood of complaints to the agency. The claim forms mailed today, however, are only for consumers defrauded by Transcontinental.

The amount of money consumers receive will be based on the number of claim forms received and approved, and the amount available for refunds. While consumers may not receive refunds for all the money they lost, they must return the forms in order to be eligible for refunds. Consumers who have questions about completing the form after they receive it can contact Analytics, Inc. toll-free at 1-877-720-5908 or visit www.ftc.gov/refunds.

Information for consumers on telemarketing and robocalls can be found here.

The Federal Trade Commission works for consumers to prevent fraudulent, deceptive, and unfair business practices and to provide information to help spot, stop, and avoid them. To file a complaint in English or Spanish, visit the FTC’s online Complaint Assistant or call 1-877-FTC-HELP (1-877-382-4357). The FTC enters complaints into Consumer Sentinel, a secure, online database available to more than 1,800 civil and criminal law enforcement agencies in the U.S. and abroad. The FTC’s website provides free information on a variety of consumer topics.