Following Calls by AG Moody and Other State AGs, the FCC Takes Action to Stop Foreign Robocalls

TALLAHASSEE, Fla.—Following calls by Attorney General Ashley Moody and other state Attorneys General, the Federal Communications Commission is taking action to decrease illicit, foreign robocalls. In January, Attorney General Moody urged the FCC to implement new measures that will help prevent foreign-based illegal robocalls used to scam Americans. The FCC will require companies that transmit phone calls originating in foreign countries to U.S. public telephone networks, called gateway providers, to comply with STIR/SHAKEN, a protocol intended to combat caller ID spoofing. The FCC also declared that by June 30, certain small carriers previously afforded an exception must implement STIR/SHAKEN.

Attorney General Ashley Moody said, “The best way to stop scams associated with robocalls is to block the avenues some telemarketers use to send fraudulent automated messages. By working with the FCC, we are gaining ground in our fight to protect Floridians by ensuring carriers utilize the latest technology to try and keep foreign actors from bombarding phones with illegal robocall messages."

In addition to requiring broader adoption of STIR/SHAKEN, the FCC is also demanding gateway providers take additional measures to reduce robocalls, including:

• Responding to requests from law enforcement, state Attorneys General or the FCC to trace back calls within 24 hours;
• Blocking calls when providers are made aware of an illegal or likely fraudulent caller by the FCC;
• Stopping calls that originate from numbers on a ‘do not originate’ list—such as certain government phone numbers that are for incoming calls only; and
• Requiring that foreign telephone companies that U.S. providers partner with register with the FCC’s Robocall Mitigation Database before they are allowed to transmit calls that use U.S. phone numbers.

To view Attorney General Moody’s original announcement asking the FCC to help block foreign robocall scams, click here.

For more information about the new measures of fighting illegal robocalls that Attorney General Moody and other state Attorneys General encouraged the FCC to adopt, click here.

Joining Attorney General Moody in urging the FCC to implement these anti-robocall measures are the Attorneys General of Alabama, Alaska, Arkansas, California, Colorado, Connecticut, Delaware, the District of Columbia, Georgia, Hawaii, Idaho, Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Kansas, Kentucky, Louisiana, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, Michigan, Minnesota, Mississippi, Missouri, Montana, Nebraska, Nevada, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New Mexico, New York, North Carolina, North Dakota, Ohio, Oklahoma, Oregon, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, South Carolina, South Dakota, Tennessee, Texas, Utah, Vermont, Virginia, Washington, West Virigina, Wisconsin and Wyoming.