Attorney General Josh Stein Launches Operation Silver Shield with Anti-Robocall Initiative

RALEIGH, NC (February 11, 2020) — Attorney General Josh Stein today launched Operation Silver Shield, a North Carolina Department of Justice (NCDOJ) effort to confront scammers and fraudsters who target older North Carolinians. Operation Silver Shield launches today with new action in Attorney General Stein’s ongoing work to confront robocalls, where many scams originate.

Attorney General Stein is taking action on robocalls in two ways this February. First, he is asking for North Carolinians’ help in highlighting these bad actors by launching the Robocall Report Task Force with a detailed web form (www.ncdoj.gov/norobo) and dedicated robo-report hotline (1-844-8-NO-ROBO). NCDOJ is asking people to report information about the scam calls they receive by using the web form and the hotline. Their information will help NCDOJ investigate potential scammers.

“Robocalls are annoying and disruptive at best – but at worst, can result in people losing their life savings,” said Attorney General Josh Stein. “These scammers are clever and they know that it’s difficult for law enforcement to go after them. If we don’t receive the calls, we don’t have all the information – but you do. That is why I’m asking North Carolinians to report their calls to me. My office will investigate these claims and share them with our federal partners so we can hold bad actors accountable.”

Second, Attorney General Stein is providing an update on phone companies’ work to make their networks safer for their customers. This past summer, Attorney General Stein led a coalition of 51 attorneys general and 12 companies to outline the Anti-Robocall Principles, a series of principles the companies agreed to take on to combat robocalls. Today, Attorney General Stein is releasing the companies’ reported progress in implementing these principles. To view their progress report, click here.

“As we tackle this issue, it’s critical that we work with telecom companies and make sure they’re doing everything they can to keep robocallers off their networks,” said Attorney General Josh Stein. “While I am pleased with the progress these companies are making, our phones keep ringing. We know there is more work to be done. I am committed to continue pushing these companies to do everything they possibly can to stop these calls, including tracking down and identifying the robocallers sending out millions of calls per day.”

The anti-robocall initiative is the first program Attorney General Stein is launching under Operation Silver Shield. Throughout the year, NCDOJ will continue this type of work to protect people from scams, take legal action against fraudsters when necessary, and educate people on how best to keep themselves and their parents and grandparents safe. For more information, please visit www.ncdoj.gov/silver

“Older North Carolinians are especially vulnerable to bad actors trying to frighten them out of their money,” said Attorney General Josh Stein. “We all have a responsibility to protect our loved ones, especially if they’re no longer as able to protect themselves. Through Operation Silver Shield, people across the state will be able to recognize scams, take action to safeguard themselves and their money, and keep each other safe.”