2011 US Code
Title 18 - Crimes and Criminal Procedure
Part I - CRIMES (§§ 1 - 2725)
Chapter 113A - TELEMARKETING FRAUD (§§ 2325 - 2327)
Section 2325 - Definition

In this chapter, “telemarketing”—

(1) means a plan, program, promotion, or campaign that is conducted to induce—

(A) purchases of goods or services;

(B) participation in a contest or sweepstakes; or

(C) a charitable contribution, donation, or gift of money or any other thing of value,

by use of 1 or more interstate telephone calls initiated either by a person who is conducting the plan, program, promotion, or campaign or by a prospective purchaser or contest or sweepstakes participant or charitable contributor, or donor; but

(2) does not include the solicitation of sales through the mailing of a catalog that—

(A) contains a written description or illustration of the goods or services offered for sale;

(B) includes the business address of the seller;

(C) includes multiple pages of written material or illustration; and

(D) has been issued not less frequently than once a year,

if the person making the solicitation does not solicit customers by telephone but only receives calls initiated by customers in response to the catalog and during those calls takes orders without further solicitation.

(Added Pub. L. 103–322, title XXV, §250002(a)(2), Sept. 13, 1994, 108 Stat. 2082; amended Pub. L. 107–56, title X, §1011(d), Oct. 26, 2001, 115 Stat. 396.)

2001—Par. (1). Pub. L. 107–56 added subpar. (C) and inserted “or charitable contributor, or donor” before semicolon in concluding provisions.

Section 250001 of title XXV of Pub. L. 103–322 provided that: “This Act [probably should be “title”, meaning title XXV (§§250001–250008) of Pub. L. 103–322, which enacted this chapter, amended sections 1029, 1341, and 3059 of this title, and enacted provisions set out as notes under this section and section 994 of Title 28, Judiciary and Judicial Procedure] may be cited as the ‘Senior Citizens Against Marketing Scams Act of 1994’.”

Section 250008 of title XXV of Pub. L. 103–322, as amended by Pub. L. 104–294, title VI, §604(b)(29), Oct. 11, 1996, 110 Stat. 3508, provided that:

“(a) Hotline.—The Attorney General shall, subject to the availability of appropriations, establish a national toll-free hotline for the purpose of—

“(1) providing general information on telemarketing fraud to interested persons; and

“(2) gathering information related to possible violations of provisions of law amended by this title [see Short Title note above].

“(b) Action on Information Gathered.—The Attorney General shall work in cooperation with the Federal Trade Commission to ensure that information gathered through the hotline shall be acted on in an appropriate manner.”