The State of Iowa is suing a Delaware company that Attorney General Tom Miller says has been helping telemarketing companies bilk Iowans. Miller says today, the state of Iowa has opened a new front in the battle against telemarketing fraud. Miller accuses Teledraft, Incorporated of doing the dirty work for at least 20 shady telemarketing companies, most of which are based in Canada. Miller says Teledraft has electronically withdrawn money from several Iowans’ bank accounts, without their permission. Miller says the state is going after someone new in telemarketing fraud. Miller says Teledraft did the financial transactions for one company charging almost five-hundred dollars for something that was mostly free. Miller alleges that “Consumer Benefits Council” called people up and offered to get them off telemarketers lists forever — for that hefty fee — at the same time the federal “Do Not Call” list allowed Americans to put their phone numbers of the list, for free. Miller is asking the court to fine the company 40-thousand dollars for each illegal electronic bank withdrawal and to tack on five-thousand more dollars for each withdrawal that came from an elderly Iowan. Miller says “any sensible person could see” the companies Teledraft did business with were engaged in fraud. Investigators in Miller’s office are also trying to find out who provided Teledraft with the names, phone numbers and bank account information they used.
