Do not call complaints lead feds to source of millions of illegal sales calls

Some 25,000 complaints of the federal Do not call law has finally led to the source of an estimated 370 million sales calls the Federal Trade Commission said were illegal.

The federal government sued California-based SBN Peripherals and accused the company of being behind calls that peppered consumers from coast-to-coast with unscrupulous pitches to buy auto warranties or to adjust credit card interest rates. The company and a collection of off-shore boiler rooms are believed to be responsible for the millions of calls from "Stacey at Account Holder Services" or "Rachel at Cardholder Services."

These so-called robo calls are illegal.

"Telemarketers need to understand that blasting consumers with 'robocall' pitches is no longer legal," FTC Midwest Region Director C. Steven Baker said in a statement. "Unless you have someone's consent up-front and in writing to receive a robocall, just don't do it. The rules could not be simpler than that, and we will go after telemarketers who ignore them."