The Federal Communications Commission issued a record-breaking fine to the tune of nearly $300 million against the largest illegal robocall operation it has investigated to date.
The agency issued the fine for auto warranty scam robocalls and spoofing violations, which was announced in a release Thursday.
The illegal operation, which was made up of an international network of companies, violated federal statutes by making robocalls to more than 500 million phone numbers in the span of three months in 2021. They also used more than one million different caller ID numbers, violating federal spoofing laws.
“We take seriously our responsibility to protect consumers and the integrity of U.S. communications networks from the onslaught of these types of pernicious calls,” said FCC Enforcement Bureau Chief Loyaan A. Egal.
States band together to sue company over billions of illegal robocalls
In a 141-page lawsuit, 51 U.S. attorneys general accused Avid Telecom of making over 7.5 billion illegal calls since 2019.
Americans lost an average of $1,400 to scam callers in 2022, according to the Federal Trade Commission.
So how can you prevent yourself from being the victim of one of these scams? The FCC recommendsnot answering calls from unknown numbers.
If you do pick up, do not answer questions or give out personal information.You can also talk to your phone company about call blocking tools and register your number to the National Do Not Call Registry.
If you do receive a scam call, you can file a complaint with the FCC Consumer Complaint Center. And if you lose money because of a scam call, contact your local law enforcement agency for help.
@scrippsnews Annoyed by robocalls and scam callers? This week, the FCC announced a record-breaking $300 million fine against the largest illegal robocall operation it has investigated. #scam #robocall ♬ original sound - Scripps News
