NEW YORK, NY (August 3, 2022) — New York Attorney General Letitia James joined a coalition of 50 attorneys general to form a nationwide, bipartisan Anti-Robocall Litigation Taskforce.
Why it matters: Robocall scammers operating mostly overseas are annoying to everyone, making over 33 million scam robocalls per day, and stealing an estimated $29.8 billion dollars from Americans last year.
The Anti-Robocall Litigation Taskforce has issued 20 civil investigative demands to 20 gateway providers and other entities that are allegedly responsible for a majority of foreign robocall traffic. It will investigate and take legal action against telecommunications companies responsible for enabling scam robocalls into the United States.
- Go after providers that profit from illegal scam traffic and refuse to cut operators off
- Cut down on illegal robocalls made to consumers nationwide
- Mitigate scam calls
Robocall scammers misrepresent themselves to deceive call recipients.
- Social Security Administration fraud against seniors
- Amazon scams against consumers
- Targeting vulnerable groups
Attorney General James: “Robocalls are more than just a nuisance, they are used to scam seniors and defraud consumers. Across the country, phones are ringing off the hook with robocalls that sound legitimate but are actually a fraud. New Yorkers should not have to worry about being scammed whenever they answer their phone. I am proud to join this coalition to dial up our efforts to block these unwanted calls and protect consumers nationwide.”
Signs of a robocall scam.
- Asks for your personal information
- Asks you to pay by gift card, wire transfer, or cryptocurrency
- Makes prerecorded calls posing as government agencies
What to do: If you suspect fraudulent activity, immediately hang up. To report a scam, file an online complaint with the Office of the Attorney General’s (OAG) Bureau of Consumer Frauds.
