The TCPA (Telephone Consumer Protection Act) was created to protect consumers from the annoyance of unsolicited telemarketing calls. But today, it’s being abused by a growing number of professional litigants who have turned this law into a personal money-making machine. Instead of serving its original purpose, the TCPA has become a tool for scammers and opportunists to extort legitimate businesses who are simply trying to connect with customers. The sad reality is that companies following the law in good faith are being taken advantage of by a few bad actors who exploit the system for ill-gotten gains.
Take Melody Stoops, for instance, a notorious figure in the TCPA world. In one case against Wells Fargo, Stoops admitted to owning 35 cell phones—not for personal use, but specifically to trap businesses into calling her so she could sue. In her own words, filing TCPA lawsuits was her “business.” Stoops strategically registered her phone numbers in economically depressed areas where she believed companies were more likely to call. Her game was simple: wait for a call, and then file a lawsuit. Thankfully, the courts eventually saw through her scheme, ruling that she wasn’t harmed by the calls and had no grounds to sue. But Stoops isn’t alone—she’s just one example of the many “professional plaintiffs” who exploit the TCPA for personal profit.
Another figure who’s made a name for himself in this realm is Doc Compton, who sells kits that teach people how to sue companies under the TCPA. Now, while Compton’s kits may be advertised as a way for consumers to hold law-breaking companies accountable, let’s be honest—it doesn’t take a genius to figure out how to game the system. People can easily manipulate the process, setting up situations where companies unknowingly call them just so they can file a lawsuit. And this likely happens far more often than anyone is willing to admit.
Then there’s Aaron Smith (not his real name), a vexatious litigator with a history of filing harassing lawsuits. Smith, who has a criminal background involving extortion and mortgage fraud, has taken his skills to the world of TCPA litigation. In the past year alone, he’s filed multiple lawsuits against small business financing companies, claiming that they made unsolicited calls to his personal phone, which was supposedly on the Do-Not-Call list. But here’s the kicker: Smith used to advertise the very same phone number on his business website, which raises serious questions about the legitimacy of his claims.
These examples highlight a growing problem: the TCPA, a law that was supposed to protect consumers, has become a goldmine for people looking to exploit businesses. Professional litigants like Stoops, Compton, and Smith aren’t interested in stopping illegal telemarketing—they’re interested in lining their pockets. And they’re doing so at the expense of legitimate companies who are simply trying to operate within the confines of the law.
One of the most prominent figures in the TCPA world is Stewart Abramson, a Pennsylvania man who has turned suing companies into a side hustle. Abramson is known for sending formal demand letters to businesses, offering to settle for $500 per call—the minimum statutory damages under the TCPA. If the business refuses, Abramson files a civil complaint and tries to extract even more money through litigation. He’s been at this game for over a decade, and his name continues to show up in TCPA lawsuits today.
And let’s not forget about Diana Mey, who has been wrangling with telemarketers since 1998. Mey has filed numerous lawsuits under the TCPA and even helped draft some of the Federal Trade Commission’s telemarketing rules. While Mey may have started out with good intentions, her story shows just how long someone can keep leveraging the TCPA for personal gain. She has made millions through her lawsuits and even has a website where she teaches others how to do the same.
The issue isn’t just that these professional litigants exist—it’s that the TCPA’s structure actually encourages this kind of behavior. The law allows for statutory damages of $500 per violation, with the possibility of tripling that amount for willful violations. For people like Stoops, Compton, and Abramson, this creates a powerful incentive to provoke calls from companies, file lawsuits, and rake in settlements. And while these litigants claim they’re standing up for consumers, the truth is that many of them are simply gaming the system for profit.
Unfortunately, accusing someone of being a “serial plaintiff” doesn’t do much to sway the courts. As Michael Goodman, a partner at the law firm Hudson Cook, pointed out in an interview with the website debanked, that courts tend to assess each case on its merits and rarely punish plaintiffs for filing multiple lawsuits. So, even when a person’s entire livelihood seems to revolve around exploiting the TCPA, the legal system is often reluctant to stop them.
The real tragedy here is that legitimate businesses are getting caught in the crossfire. Companies that are genuinely trying to follow the law are being sued left and right, forced to pay massive settlements to these opportunists. And the ripple effect is enormous: businesses end up spending more on legal fees, which drives up the cost of goods and services for everyone. Small businesses, in particular, are vulnerable to these lawsuits because they often don’t have the resources to fight back.
At the end of the day, the TCPA has strayed far from its original purpose. What was meant to be a consumer protection law has turned into a cash cow for a select group of professional litigants who are using it to line their pockets. And while some of these lawsuits may be justified, the vast majority are frivolous, targeting businesses for minor infractions or even honest mistakes.
If we want to fix this, we need to take a hard look at the TCPA and make some serious reforms. We need to close the loopholes that allow people to exploit the system, and we need to protect businesses from frivolous lawsuits. Because right now, the TCPA isn’t just hurting telemarketers—it’s hurting small businesses, consumers, and the economy as a whole.
Legitimate businesses should be able to operate without the constant fear of being sued by someone who’s turned the TCPA into a personal cash machine. It’s time to put an end to this abuse, before even more businesses are driven into the ground.
