Federal Trade Commission Broadens Rule to Address Tech Support Scams Aimed at Elderly Americans
Scammers pretending to be fake tech support hotlines and stealing money or data from victims are being targeted by new measures.
The Federal Trade Commission (FTC) has expanded a rule to crack down on abusive telemarketing practices, with a focus on protecting older Americans who are frequent targets of technical support scams.
On Nov. 27, the FTC approved final modifications to its Telemarketing Sales Rule (TSR) in a 4–1 vote, extending the rule’s coverage to include inbound calls to technical support services.
This decision was made in response to the discovery that many scams involve luring customers to call fake tech support hotlines where fraudsters demand payments for non-existent issues or attempt to steal sensitive information.
The fraudulent practices addressed in the new rule have resulted in over $175 million in losses for customers aged 60 and older in 2023.
The amendments to the TSR now protect consumers from inbound telemarketing calls for technical support services, including situations where deceptive pop-ups or ads trick consumers into calling companies for fake issues related to their devices.
The updated rule defines technical support services as any plan, program, software, or service aimed at repairing, maintaining, or enhancing the performance or security of devices like computers, smartphones, tablets, and smart home devices.
FTC Commissioner Andrew Ferguson, who voted against the new rule, stated his dissent based on the timing of the rule-making process in relation to the presidential transition.
Most provisions of the final rule will take effect 60 days after being published in the Federal Register.
