Verizon Wireless Continues Campaign To Protect Customers’ Privacy With Legal Action Against Wireless Telemarketers

BASKING RIDGE, NJ — Verizon Wireless, owner and operator of the nation’s most reliable wireless network, said today it has filed a lawsuit in Superior Court in Somerville, N.J., against unknown telemarketers who have conducted an unwanted and illegal telemarketing campaign to Verizon Wireless customers.

The lawsuit claims that during March 2007, more than 1 million calls with the Caller ID “712-429-0367,” or numbers with similar exchanges, were placed to Verizon Wireless customers, asking those customers to press “1” to hear more about a low interest rate mortgage. Verizon Wireless alleges that these calls were made illegally using an autodialer. For example, in a 10-hour period on March 5, 2007, more than 43,000 calls were made from this number, an average of one call every 0.83 seconds.

Steven E. Zipperstein, vice president and general counsel of Verizon Wireless, said, “These unlawful telemarketing calls invade the privacy of Verizon Wireless’ customers, and we will use every weapon in our legal arsenal to protect our customers.” The lawsuit alleges violations of the Federal Telephone Consumer Protection Act as well as state fraud and privacy laws. Verizon Wireless is asking for a permanent injunction and monetary damages.

The company’s record of protecting customer privacy puts Verizon Wireless at the forefront of the U.S. wireless industry. Over the past several years, Verizon Wireless has won permanent injunctions against individuals and companies that have engaged in illegal telemarketing and text message spamming to Verizon Wireless customers, and against those who have attempted to obtain information about Verizon Wireless customers to sell to third parties.