New York Attorney General Leads Bipartisan Coalition in Battle Against Illicit Robocalls

Strategic Insights -

New York Attorney General Letitia James has joined forces with 49 other attorneys general in a multistate investigation targeting 37 voice service providers for routing thousands of robocalls through their networks. The relentless scourge of robocalls, often scams impersonating utility or financial companies, has led to staggering losses, with consumers reporting over $1.2 billion in scams perpetrated through robocalls and text messages in 2023 alone, according to data collected by the Federal Trade Commission. The bipartisan coalition, led by North Carolina Attorney General Jeff Jackson, Indiana Attorney General Todd Rokita, and Ohio Attorney General Dave Yost, demands immediate compliance from these companies, stressing that failure to do so will result in legal action.

Key Takeaways:

  • The coalition sent warning letters to 37 voice service providers for routing thousands of robocalls through their networks, mostly scams impersonating utility or financial companies.
  • The companies identified have failed to comply with FCC rules about responding to government traceback requests, registering in the FCC's Robocall Mitigation Databases, or filing a plan to reduce illegal robocalls.
  • In 2023, consumers reported losing over $1.2 billion to scams perpetrated through robocalls and text messages, according to the Federal Trade Commission.
  • The bipartisan coalition, led by North Carolina Attorney General Jeff Jackson, Indiana Attorney General Todd Rokita, and Ohio Attorney General Dave Yost, demands immediate compliance from the 37 companies.
  • The coalition sent letters to 99 downstream providers to alert them that they are currently doing business with bad actors unwilling to follow the rules.
  • This is the latest action by Attorney General James to protect New Yorkers from unwanted robocalls, following notice letters sent in April to 9 phone providers and an amicus brief filed in March to support the FCC's rule stopping unauthorized sale of consumers' phone numbers to robocallers.

Statistics:

  • 37 voice service providers received warning letters from the bipartisan coalition.
  • 99 downstream providers received letters alerting them to currently doing business with bad actors.
  • $1.2 billion was lost by consumers in 2023 to scams perpetrated through robocalls and text messages, according to the Federal Trade Commission.
  • In 2022, 51 attorneys general formed the Anti-Robocall Litigation Task Force to combat rampant robocalls.

Sources:

  • New York Attorney General's office release, no date specified
  • [Source 1 - Federal Trade Commission (FTC)]