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New York Attorney General Letitia James has joined a coalition of attorneys general from all 50 states to combat illegal and fraudulent robocalls. The coalition issued warning letters to 37 voice service providers suspected of routing scam calls through their networks. The effort aims to stop scammers from stealing money and personal information from New Yorkers and other Americans.
According to The New York Independent, the coalition demands that these companies immediately cease enabling fraudulent calls. In 2023 alone, consumers reported losing more than $1.2 billion to scams through robocalls and text messages, as per the Federal Trade Commission (FTC).
The Federal Communications Commission (FCC) has implemented rules to curb robocall fraud, but many voice service providers have ignored them. Attorney General James stated, "By disregarding these simple rules, these companies are allowing robocallers onto their phone networks." The coalition also sent letters to 99 downstream providers, alerting them to their business with non-compliant companies.
This initiative marks at least the fourth time state attorneys general have united to tackle robocall fraud. The Anti-Robocall Litigation Task Force, formed in 2022, continues to investigate and take legal action against companies responsible for high volumes of illegal robocall traffic.