Recorded telemarketing calls illegal without written permission begins

You soon may be hearing a lot fewer of those maddening pre-recorded telephone pitches for everything from car insurance to debt consolidation services.

Starting Tuesday, telemarketers will need written permission from consumers in advance in order to solicit them through automated pre-recorded telemarketing messages, sometimes called robo-calls, the Federal Trade Commission said.

Even people who have not signed up for the federal Do Not Call registry, as well as those who have done business in the past with the solicitors, now are protected from unwanted automatic calls. But be warned: You still may get calls from traditional live telemarketers, unless you put your name on state or federal Do Not Call lists.

Consumer advocates called the action a huge change to the national Telemarketing Sales Rule. "We don't anticipate a lot of consumers writing to robo-callers and saying 'Please call me,' " said Bob Williams, a spokesman in Consumer Union's Washington D.C. office.

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