Tired of getting those obnoxious phone calls from "Rachel" promising to lower the interest rate on your credit card?
So is the Federal Trade Commission.
Today, federal judges in Florida and Arizona temporarily shut down five companies that performed these robocalls to consumers.
The robocalls, which usually started with a recorded voice from a lady named Rachel, deceived consumers into paying hundreds or sometimes thousands of dollars by claiming they could reduce credit card interest rates in return for an upfront fee.
The FTC says these five agencies could have defrauded consumers out of possibly $30 million over the past few years.
"At the FTC, Rachel from Cardholder Services is public enemy number one," said FTC Chairman Jon Leibowitz in a statement. "We're cracking down on illegal robocalls by bringing law enforcement actions and pursuing technical solutions to the problem."
The five companies are Key One Solutions and Ambrosia Web Design, both based in Arizona; and The Green Savers, A+ Financial Center and Treasure Your Success, all based in Florida.
The FTC is trying hard to crack down on robocalls. Earlier this month, they announced a $50,000 prize to the person or small business that could create a new solution to block illegal robocalls on landlines and mobile phones.
