OTTAWA–GATINEAU – An Arizona-based company offering lower credit card rates has been ordered by the CRTC to pay a $145,000 fine for violating Canada’s unsolicited telecommunications rules.
Acting on complaints, the Commission said Monday that it investigated Rainmaker Marketing/Maple Accounting for making unsolicited telemarketing calls to offer lower credit card rates. The pre-recorded automated calls were made to Canadians whose numbers were registered on the national do not call list (DNCL) and without their prior consent. The company also did not display the telephone number from which the calls originated, provide a local or toll-free number where it could be reached, and failed to register with and subscribe to the national DNCL before making the calls.
The CRTC said that it worked closely with the U.S. Federal Trade Commission and the Canadian Anti-Fraud Centre during the investigation, and reiterated that telemarketers must comply with Canada’s telemarketing rules, whether they make the calls themselves or hire a third-party agency, and whether they are based in Canada or abroad.
“The result of this cross-border investigation shows that we are making headway in our efforts to protect Canadians from unwanted telemarketing calls that originate from here at home, and from other countries”, said Manon Bombardier, CRTC chief compliance and enforcement officer, in the announcement. “We appreciate the help that the U.S. Federal Trade Commission and the Canadian Anti-Fraud Centre provided during our investigation.”
To date, the CRTC has issued more than $6 million in monetary penalties payable to the Receiver General for Canada and $741,000 in other payments.
