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LEGAL NEWSLINE

Tuesday, March 19, 2024

Missouri AG warns against anonymous robo-calls

Jay Nixon (D)

JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. (Legal Newsline)-Political campaigns in Missouri have been warned not to make pre-recorded calls to voters that lack identifying information.

Attorney General Jay Nixon, in a letter to about 2,000 campaigns, said the Telephone Consumer Protection Act of 1991 requires all phone calls using pre-recorded messages to identify who is responsible for the call and include a phone number or address to contact the caller.

Nixon, who is the state's Democratic nominee for governor, said he will begin enforcing the provision immediately.

"The law requires political robo-calls to include certain information so consumers have the ability to demand that they not be called again," Nixon said in a letter to every campaign treasurer registered with the Missouri Ethics Commission.

Violations of the federal Telephone Consumer Protection Act are punishable by fines of up to $500 per incident- or $1,500 for an intentional violation.

"Complaints about robo-calls spiked as the August elections approached and likely will increase dramatically again as we near the November elections," Nixon said. "With the help of Missourians who file complaints, we'll be aggressive in enforcing the law against these anonymous, unwanted intrusions."

From Legal Newsline: Reach reporter Chris Rizo at chrisrizo@legalnewsline.com.

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