FCC issues $300 million fine for car warranty robocallers - Made 5 billion calls in 3 months

[Mikey Radio]

FCC issues record $300 million fine for auto warranty robocallers​

FCC issues record $300 million fine for auto warranty robocallers | Engadget

After a months-long investigation, the FCC has decided to go ahead with its proposed record-setting $300 million fine against “the largest illegal robocall operation” the agency had ever encountered.

www.engadget.com

After a months-long investigation, the FCC has decided to go ahead with its proposed record-setting $300 million fine against “the largest illegal robocall operation” the agency has ever encountered. This is the heftiest fine ever issued by the FCC, due to the massive scope and illegality of the robocalling operation.

The agency issued the fine to an “international network of companies” that executed a scheme to make more than five billion robocalls to 500 million phone numbers during a three-month span in 2021. There are only 330 million people in the USA, so it’s likely you received one or many of these auto warranty scam calls. Additionally, the FCC concluded that the criminal enterprise violated federal spoofing laws by using more than a million different caller ID numbers to trick victims into answering the phone.

 

[Deleted User]

ya. let me know when the FCC collects the first dime of that fine.

Internet calling costs those companies next to nothing from overseas where the FCC has zero ability do anything.

Oh they can refer it to the DOJ if they fail to pay....

Sure the DOJ is going to get a Panamanian company to pay up....

Let me know how that turns out

 

[exdjted]

Sometimes when I get a scam call I dream that I'm the Terminator in the police station scene...

 

[Greg Goodfellow]

I thought it was the FTC instead of the FCC. That was reported yesterday. If it was the FCC, bank. That is, of course as was alluded to earlier, if they actually collect anything.

 

[davideduardo]

I found a way to avoid robocalls on my cellular: I got my number in an area code where I don't live and have no friends or associates.

So, if I get a call from that code area, I do not answer it. That avoids 90% of the calls. And if I get a call from an unknown area code, I let it go to "message" and only if it something I want do I call back.

While stopping robocalls won't bring world peace or control global warming or eradicate bigotry, it's one of the most significant things the government could do to eliminate fraud and harassment.

 

[Mikey Radio]

I found a way to avoid robocalls on my cellular: I got my number in an area code where I don't live and have no friends or associates.

So, if I get a call from that code area, I do not answer it. That avoids 90% of the calls. And if I get a call from an unknown area code, I let it go to "message" and only if it something I want do I call back.

While stopping robocalls won't bring world peace or control global warming or eradicate bigotry, it's one of the most significant things the government could do to eliminate fraud and harassment.

I have a number from the area code where I live, but for me, the 2 dead giveaways are usually:

1) Calls displayed as being from a specific city about 40 miles south of here are nearly always robo calls.
2) When the call is from someone not listed in my address book, and their first 6 digits are the same as mine. Starting a few years ago, robo callers began using software that displays a number similar to the person receiving the call, rather than the actual number the calls are coming from. Evidently that caused people to think it was from a local caller and maybe someone from their kid's school or a work associate and that would cause them to answer.

 

[fybush]

Within the last few weeks, my Android phone (Google Pixel) on Verizon has started to display "verified number" on some calls, I guess where the number matches whatever list they have of non-spam numbers.

Another group of numbers gets flagged as "presumed spam" and sent straight to oblivion.

For anything else, the phone has an auto-assistant that can ask a caller who they are, transcribe the answer and give me the chance to either pick up or (most of the time) mark it spam and block it.

 

[exdjted]

I usually don't answer them, but if I mistakenly do and get the old Microsoft Support jive, I speak in a whisper so I know they're straining to listen, and then I blast them with the whistle I keep on my desk. Blown out a couple of eardrums in Hyderabad.😁

 

[Greg Goodfellow]

I usually don't answer them, but if I mistakenly do and get the old Microsoft Support jive, I speak in a whisper so I know they're straining to listen, and then I blast them with the whistle I keep on my desk. Blown out a couple of eardrums in Hyderabad.😁

My late father used an air horn (LOL).

 

[radiofan2023]

I used to use Arnold Schwarzenegger soundboards and mess with them….good times

 

[KeithE4]

I just reject any phone number that I or my contacts list don't recognize, and I've received a lot of them this week, from many different area codes. If it's something important, I'll call back if they leave a voicemail. Most will get blocked.

 

[PTBoardOp94]

For those who may not know, the major carriers offer opt-in spam protection. With AT&T, you can install an app called "ActiveArmor". With Verizon, it is "Verizon CallFilter", and T-Mobile uses "T-Mobile Scam Shield." They are all no-extra-charge.

They are opt-in due to common carrier regulations that require phone providers treat all callers equally.

With this app on my AT&T phone, I get nearly no junk calls, maybe one a week.

 

[KeithE4]

For those who may not know, the major carriers offer opt-in spam protection. With AT&T, you can install an app called "ActiveArmor". With Verizon, it is "Verizon CallFilter", and T-Mobile uses "T-Mobile Scam Shield." They are all no-extra-charge.

They are opt-in due to common carrier regulations that require phone providers treat all callers equally.

With this app on my AT&T phone, I get nearly no junk calls, maybe one a week.

I'm with T-Mobile, and I get lots of calls that are labeled "Scam Likely." I always reject those, and block them if they call more than once.

My biggest gripe with them (and Verizon, when I was with them) is that when I block a number, it blocks voice calls and text messages, but not voicemails. Both companies told me that they aren't allowed to completely block them, yet my VOIP provider, Callcentric, does exactly that, and I'm allowed to set a "call rule" to do so. So it's OK for VOIP service but not cellular?

 

[secondchoice]

The FCC could put an end to most spam calls if they would make all of the exchanges that have access to our phone exchanges clean up their act or not allow them access to the network. Caller IDs should be accurate from the number that the call originates from. If a business or person wants a "different" name the carrier could charge extra for that service. If a phone carrier allows fake caller IDs thru on a regular basis they should should not be allowed access to the US network. VOIP calls should some where go thru a "switch" somewhere and the same rules should apply. The phone carriers can easily detect a connection that calls out several thousand times a day. With the exception of reverse 911 calls there should be a limit (60?) Dial outs an hour for any phone line.