(COLUMBUS, Ohio) — Ohio Attorney General Dave Yost has joined 41 other attorneys general in calling on the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) to take further action to stop the growing proliferation of illegal robocalls and spoofing.
In formal legal comments delivered to the FCC, the attorneys general urged the FCC to adopt its proposed rules on enforcement against caller ID spoofing on calls to the United States originating from overseas, while also addressing spoofing in text messaging and alternative voice services. These provisions are included in the FCC appropriations authorization bill also known as the RAY BAUM’S Act of 2018.
The number of spoofed calls and the consumer financial losses tied to these scams have increased by nearly 50% in recent years.
“Most people are quick to detect a robocall and know to hang up immediately,” Yost said. “But these fraudulent calls are a real threat to vulnerable Ohioans who have no reason to doubt the voice on the other end of the line and they’re a pain for all of us. I’m proud to fight for Ohio against this growing nuisance.”
Americans received almost 18 billion scam robocalls in 2018 and, overall, robocalls increased in the U.S. by 57% from 2017 to 2018. The FCC reports that imposter scams have reportedly cost consumers $488 million just in 2018.
The coalition sending formal comments to the FCC was led by Pennsylvania Attorney General Josh Shapiro and included 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 Carolina, North Dakota, Ohio, Oklahoma, Oregon, Rhode Island, South Carolina, Tennessee, Utah, Vermont, Virginia, Washington, West Virginia.
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