Santander Hit With Phone Recording Class Action

Recording telephone conversations with consumers without their consent has landed Banco Santander's U.S. auto-financing arm in a proposed class action suit in California federal court.

Law360 (subscription required) reports that lead plaintiff Jose C. Zendejas claims that he received a call from a Santander employee who did not inform him that their conversation was being recorded. When questioned directly by the plaintiff at the end of the call, the employee admitted to recording the conversation. The employee allegedly sought information about a friend of Zendejas and claimed he was listed as reference by the friend.

Under California state law it is illegal to record a telephone conversation without consent. The lawsuit also alleges that Zendejas had no way of knowing that the conversation was being recorded as there was no intermittent beeping during the call, states Law360.

The suit seeks to represent a class of thousands of California residents whose phone conversations may have been recorded by Santander illegally during the past 12 months. The lawsuit seeks $5,000 in damages for every illegal phone recording violation, reports Law360.

If you or a loved one has been wronged by consumer fraud, contact Sokolove Law today for a free legal consultation and to find out if a consumer fraud lawyer may be able to help you.

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