Israeli Law Requires Businesses to Record and Provide Sales Call Recordings Over 750 Shekels
The Knesset approved Amendment 73 to the Consumer Protection Law, mandating businesses to record all telephone sales calls involving transactions exceeding 750 shekels. These recordings must be provided to consumers free of charge within 10 business days and retained by the business for two years. If a business fails to provide the recording, the consumer's version of events will be presumed correct, although courts may allow the business to contest this if there is a reasonable justification for not providing the recording or if the call date is clarified.
At the start of each call, consumers must be informed that the conversation is being recorded and that they can request the recording. The recording must be provided even if the call is not completed. The 750-shekel threshold applies to single or multiple transactions resulting from the marketing call, with specific rules for ongoing contracts based on annual or total payment amounts. If the transaction amount is unknown at the time of the call, it is assumed to be 750 shekels or more.
The Minister of Economy may extend the law to cover written communications as well as voice calls. The law applies to sectors including telecommunications, tax refunds, credit rating improvements, repairs and maintenance, gas, loan brokerage, medical services, mortgage consulting, telemarketing, banks, insurance companies, pension advisors, and credit companies, but excludes food businesses. Violations carry fines of 14,750 shekels per incident for individuals and 26,500 shekels for corporations.
The amendment consolidates three previous bills and was initiated by Knesset members Iman Khatib-Yasin, Merav Cohen, and David Bitan. Merav Cohen described the law as a "consumer revolution" that shifts power back to the public and combats financial scams, which cause over half a billion shekels in annual losses, disproportionately affecting those aged 65 and older. Cohen emphasized the law will save consumers significant sums and protect vulnerable populations from telephone fraud that damages both their finances and dignity.
