To eliminate a potential source of funding for illegal and unethical telemarketing practices

HB 3169 prevents unlicensed individuals from referring customers to insurance sellers unless they charge only a small, flat fee ($100 or less) not tied to sales. It requires insurance companies and their vendors to establish safeguards against unethical telemarketing, including banning automated calls without written consent, prohibiting calls to numbers on the federal Do Not Call Registry, blocking false caller ID, and preventing misleading identification as licensed agents. The bill directly affects unlicensed referral services and insurance companies that use third parties for customer outreach. Key provisions mandate specific procedural changes to protect consumers from deceptive telemarketing practices under West Virginia's Insurance Sales Consumer Protection Act.