HARRISBURG – Legislation to better protect Pennsylvanians from scammers and telemarketers was unanimously approved by the PA Senate. Senate Bill 992 updates the state’s outdated telemarketing law to give consumers stronger protections against unwanted and deceptive calls, including a prohibition against any telemarketing calls – including robocalls – being made on Sundays and between 7 p.m. and 9 a.m. on every other day of the week. The legislation expands the law to cover text messages, voicemails, and “ringless” voicemails – tools often used by telemarketers to evade existing restrictions. It also expands prohibitions for both telemarketers and the companies that hire them for illegal activity and prohibits the use of artificial intelligence or fake caller IDs to deceive or defraud consumers. A violation carries a civil penalty of up to $1,000 or $3,000 if the person contacted is age 60 or older. The bill now heads to the PA House.
