American Company Fined $145,000 for Making Unsolicited Calls to Canadians

An American company has been slapped with a $145,000 fine after conducting a series of unsolicited calls to Canadians and offering to lower their credit card rates.

Rainmaker Marketing/Maple Accounting, based out of Arizona, has been issued a notice of violation and administrative monetary penalty of $145,000 for violating unsolicited telecommunications rules.

After receiving a series of complaints by Canadians, the Canadian Radio-Television and Telecommunications Commission (CRTC) launched an investigation against the America-based company and found that telemarketers were calling Canadians, despite these Canadians having registered on the "do not call" list (DNCL), and were offering to lower their credit card rates.

In addition, the company did not display the telephone number from which the calls originated, nor did the company provide a local or toll-free number where it could be reached. Lastly, the company failed to register with and subscribe to the National DNCL before making the calls.

“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. We appreciate the help that the U.S. Federal Trade Commission and the Canadian Anti-Fraud Centre provided during our investigation,” Manon Bombardier, the CRTC’s Chief Compliance and Enforcement Officer.

Companies who utilize the services of telemarketing agencies must comply with telecommunication rules, whether they’re based in Canada or abroad. Those rules also apply even if a company hires a third-party agency to make calls on the their behalf.

The CRTC has issued more than $6 million in monetary penalties payable to the Receiver General for Canada and $741,000 in other payments.

Canadians can register their numbers to the DNCL by calling 1-866-580-DNCL.