Working Group Submits Recommendations to Congress for Preventing Illegal Robocalls

Washington, D.C. — The interagency robocall working group, of which the National Association of Attorneys General (NAAG) is a member, has shared a robocall report with Congress with recommendations for the prevention and prosecution of unwanted telemarketing calls.

The working group was established under the Telephone Robocall Abuse Criminal Enforcement and Deterrence (TRACED) Act. Signed into law at the end of 2019, the TRACED Act combats the proliferation of illegal robocalls. The working group is charged with studying the requirements of the TRACED Act, improving coordination among agencies and the private sector, and promoting the identification, investigation, deterrence, and prosecution of criminal robocall schemes.

In its report, the working group notes actions taken by members to implement its recommendations, including:

• Filing enforcement actions against individuals and entities involved in perpetrating and/or facilitating massive unlawful robocall campaigns.
• Identifying voice service providers facilitating unlawful robocall traffic and warning companies so-identified about the law enforcement consequences.
• Implementing robocall-blocking technology and caller ID authentication.

As a leading consumer protection force in the country, attorneys general work diligently to protect consumers from unscrupulous practices such as illegal robocalls.

In March 2019, NAAG sent a letter to Congress endorsing the TRACED Act. The letter was signed by 54 attorneys general and sponsored by former Mississippi Attorney General Jim Hood, Nebraska Attorney General Doug Peterson, New Hampshire Attorney General Gordon MacDonald, and North Carolina Attorney General Josh Stein.

Consumers can learn more about robocalls and how to protect themselves by visiting ConsumerResources.org, a national hub of consumer protection information.

# # #