Attorney General Josh Stein Urges FCC to Take Action Against Robocalls and Spoofing

RALEIGH, NC (May 7, 2019) — Attorney General Josh Stein urged the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) to adopt proposed rules on enforcement against caller ID spoofing on calls originating overseas and spoofing using alternative voice and text messaging services.

“Scammers use robocalls and spoofing techniques to steal money from hard-working consumers,” said Attorney General Josh Stein. “I urge the FCC to adopt these protections that will help combat these annoying and harmful calls.”

A coalition of 42 attorneys general, including Attorney General Stein, submitted comments on Monday calling on the FCC to adopt the proposed rules. The rules are included in the FCC appropriations authorization bill, also known as the RAY BAUM’s Act of 2018.

An estimated 47.8 billion robocalls were made in the U.S in 2018, more than a 50 percent increase since 2017. In March, Attorney General Stein co-led a coalition of 54 attorneys general urging the U.S. Senate to enact the Telephone Robocall Abuse Criminal Enforcement and Deterrence (TRACED) Act to enable states, federal regulators, and telecom providers to act to combat illegal robocalls. Attorney General Stein is also leading a bipartisan group of 39 attorneys general to focus on the technology major telecom companies are pursuing to reduce robocalls.

Attorney General Stein is joined in sending these comments by the Attorneys General of Arizona, Arkansas, California, Colorado, Connecticut, Delaware, District of Columbia, Florida, Georgia, Idaho, Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Kansas, Kentucky, Louisiana, Maine, Massachusetts, Michigan, Minnesota, Mississippi, Montana, Nebraska, Nevada, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New Mexico, New York, North Dakota, Ohio, Oklahoma, Oregon, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, South Carolina, Tennessee, Utah, Vermont, Virginia, Washington, and West Virginia.