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THE WHITE HOUSE

Office of the Press Secretary


For Immediate Release June 23, 1998

STATEMENT BY THE PRESS SECRETARY

Signing of the Telemarketing Fraud Prevention Act

Today, the President signed into law H.R. 1847, the "Telemarketing Fraud Prevention Act." The bill increases penalties for persons convicted of telemarketing fraud which cost American consumers $40 billion last year and it will protect Americans, particularly older Americans, from such fraudulent practices.

The Telemarketing Fraud Prevention Act requires that persons convicted of fraud be sentenced up to an additional five years if the fraudulent activity involves telemarketing, and up to an additional 10 years if the fraud is targeted at persons over the age of 55. The bill also requires telephone companies and Internet service providers to disclose the name, address, and place of business of a subscriber or customer engaged in telemarketing when requested to do so in connection with certain law enforcement investigations of telemarketing fraud.

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