BEDMINSTER, N.J.-Verizon Wireless has forced two telemarketing firms to stop making illegal sales pitches to the wireless carrier’s customers.
As part of court-approved settlements, Verizon won permanent injunctions against Intelligent Alternatives of San Diego, Calif., and Resort Marketing Trends of Coral Springs, Fla., which used auto-dialers and recorded messages to contact Verizon customers.
Federal law bans the use of such technology in calls to cellular phones. Verizon Wireless filed its lawsuits in late August, after the firms reportedly made hundreds of thousands of illegal calls during the summer. The lawsuits were based on Verizon Wireless customers and company employees who received the sales calls, according to the company.
In addition to halting future sales calls, Intelligent Alternatives also will pony up $20,000 in damages, which Verizon Wireless has pledged to donate to the Family Justice Center Foundation in San Diego on behalf of the carrier’s Hopeline program against domestic violence.
Within the past few months, the carrier received a court order to stop a Tennessee company from obtaining and selling confidential customer records; obtained an injunction against a private investigative agency in Florida that was trying to gather customer information; and filed a lawsuit against another Florida company to stop it from sending tens of thousands of text messages.
