State attorneys general from all over the US are assembling an Anti-Robocall Litigation Task Force to take legal action against the robocall pandemic.
The task team, which looks to include prosecutors from all 50 US states, was announced by the state AGs of New York, California, and Texas on Tuesday.
The task force’s objective is to look into and file lawsuits against telecom firms that enable robocalls from other nations. Attorneys General from all over the country are collaborating with this new task force to reduce illegal robocalls, and we’re bringing this fight directly to the telecom companies that are supporting them. Rob Bonta, the state’s attorney general, is aa2.
According to the task force, 20 gateway providers and other organizations that are purportedly in charge of the majority of international robocall traffic have already been served with civil investigative demands. This indicates that the corporations have received subpoenas from the state prosecutors seeking information, which could result in a lawsuit being launched.
The names of the gateway vendors were not given. However, the businesses serve as entry points for international calls to US networks. The task group now asserts that numerous gateway providers seem to be purposefully disregarding unlawful robocall traffic in exchange for consistent income.
Our Task Force will compel adherence to acceptable regulations if the telecom industry refuses to develop and abide by them. Ken Paxton, Texas’ top lawyer, grade said (Opens in a new window) .
The Texas-based gateway provider Articul8 has already been sued by North Carolina’s attorney general Josh Stein noted (Opens in a new window) for allegedly sending a large number of robocalls to people living in his state. According to a statement from Stein’s office, “Articul8 gained by permitting huge quantities of calls into the US telephone network, while the scammers profited by defrauding honest individuals out of their money.”
Indeed, robocalls frequently advertise shady enterprises that prey on the elderly or unwary customers. According to a recent survey, approximately 60 million Americans are estimated to have lost money as a result of phone scammers in the past year, with robocalls accounting for the majority of these frauds.
The FCC, which has been combatting robocalls as well, didn’t react right away when asked for comment. However, the US regulator implemented new regulations in May mandating gateway providers to adhere to more stringent call ID systems in an effort to combat robocalls.
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The FCC warns that a gateway provider who disobeys could have their information deleted from the Robocall Mitigation Database and be subject to forced blocking by other network users, effectively destroying their ability to function.
Users should be cautious while getting calls from unknown phone numbers in the interim. In certain instances, robocall scammers pretend to be legitimate governmental organizations, such the Social Security Administration. “Hang up if you feel threatened or under pressure. The task committee said, “Scammers try to employ pressure and scare techniques to get you to make a hasty decision without thinking.
Check out our guide for advice on how to block robocalls.
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