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Telemarketing firm fined $20,000 for calling numbers on Do Not Call register

A Melbourne telemarketing firm has been fined $20,400 by Media the Australian Communications and Media Authority (ACMA) for making calls to telephone numbers listed on the Do Not Call Register.

Melbourne-based telecommunications company, Zone Telecom Pty Ltd, was warned in 2013 their marketing lists may have included numbers on the register, but the business chose to continue with its telemarketing activities with an out of date marketing list.

“Zone Telecom has paid a hefty price for its risky behaviour,’ said Chris Chapman, ACMA chairman. ‘This case demonstrates yet again that all telemarketers—from new businesses to established operators—must be on full alert when it comes to their responsibilities under the Do Not Call Register Act.”

“Businesses take a significant risk if they call telephone numbers on the register without a legal basis to do so,” he said. “The consequences of getting it wrong are serious—from potential penalties, such as this, to reputational damage, which ultimately can be even more financially damaging.”

In 2007 Australia introduced the Do Not Call register to curb the growing number of telemarketing telephone calls that Australians receive. In recent years, the direct marketing industry’s trade body Association for Data-driven Marketing & Advertising (ADMA),  has complained about the growing restrictions on telemarketing.

Nic Christensen 

 

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