Utah joins nationwide anti-robocall group

Utah Attorney General Sean D. Reyes has announced that Utah is joining a nationwide anti-robocall litigation task force of 50 attorneys general to investigate and take legal action against telecommunications companies responsible for bringing a majority of foreign robocalls into the United States. Reyes said the bipartisan task force has one goal: to cut down on illegal robocalls.

“Robocalls aren’t just a Utah problem. They are a nationwide threat,” Reyes said. “That is why I am proud to partner with both the Utah Division of Consumer Protection and my fellow attorneys general across America.”{mprestriction ids="1,3"}

“We will take this fight to anyone who helps these scammers and robocalls. We’ve appreciated working with the telecom industry to try and address this issue. We know they have attempted to curtail illegal robocalls. But it’s still not enough,” Reyes said.

The task force has issued 20 civil investigative demands to 20 gateway providers and other entities allegedly responsible for most foreign robocall traffic. Gateway providers that bring foreign traffic into the U.S. telephone network have a responsibility to ensure the traffic is legal, but these providers are not taking sufficient action to stop robocall traffic, according to Reyes. “In many cases, they appear to be intentionally turning a blind eye in return for steady revenue,” a release from the Reyes’ office said.

“Robocalls are particularly damaging to consumer trust,” said Utah Department of Commerce Executive Director Margaret Busse. “Virtually everyone has received these types of calls. When consumers get an unsolicited call, it can sow distrust in all marketing calls. We support all efforts to stop companies from unethical marketing practices.”

“The task force will focus on the bad actors throughout the telecommunications industry to help reduce the number of robocalls that Utah’s residents receive and benefit the companies that are following the rules,” the release said.

According to the National Consumer Law Center and Electronic Privacy Information Center and Electronic Privacy Information Center, over 33 million scam robocalls are made to Americans every day. These scam calls include Social Security Administration fraud against seniors and Amazon scams against consumers. An estimated $29.8 billion was stolen through scam calls in 2021. Most of this scam robocall traffic originates overseas.

“The task force is focused on shutting down the providers that profit from this illegal scam traffic and refuse to take steps to mitigate these scam calls otherwise,” the AG’s office said.{/mprestriction}