Federal, Midwestern groups strike against marketing violations

Marketing companies that try to win over consumers by calling their phones and sending automated text messages to their mobile phones could see increased regulations from local and federal regulators.

The Oxford Press reports that the Federal Communications Commission has expanded on a set of rules from 2008 that forces telemarketers to attain written consent from consumers prior to sending out recorded messages.

According to the source, the Ohio Attorney General's Office alone fielded more than 2,000 consumer complaints about getting calls even though they were signed up for the Do Not Call list.

Earlier this year, the Kentucky Attorney General's office struck out against Do Not Call Act violations.

Attorney General Jack Conway said in a statement that Rhode Island company Versatile Marketing Solutions would have to pay $20,000 in civil penalties because it had allegedly violated the telemarketing fraud statues by calling Kentucky residents on the DNC list between December 2010 and November 2011, pretending to be conducting a survey and then pitching home alarm systems at the end of the questions.

"This agreement should send a clear message that there are consequences for failure to follow Kentucky's Do Not Call and telemarketing fraud statutes," Conway said.