N.Y. Firm Makes Unwanted Telemarketing Calls Using AI Chatbots, Says Class Action
James Shelton alleges that Fluce AI and its owner, Ralph Cohen, made unsolicited prerecorded telemarketing calls to him and others without their prior express consent, in violation of the Telephone Consumer Protection Act, said his class action Monday (docket 1:24-cv-01429)…
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in U.S. District Court for Eastern New York in Brooklyn. Because the calls were transmitted using technology capable of generating thousands of similar calls per day, Shelton sues on behalf of a proposed nationwide class of other persons who received similar calls, said his complaint. Fluce offers a service that’s used to make tens of thousands of automated sales calls using AI software provided by third parties Amazon and Twilio, it said. To generate leads and find potential customers interested in using its services, Fluce makes telemarketing calls using AI chatbots to consumers who have never had a relationship with the company and who have never consented to receive the calls, it said. Fluce placed at least four such calls to Shelton’s cellphone on Feb. 8, said the complaint. Shelton and members of the class have been harmed by Fluce’s acts “because their privacy has been violated, they were annoyed and harassed, and, in some instances, they were charged for incoming calls,” it said. The calls also occupied their phone lines, rendering them unavailable for legitimate communication, it said.