Mississippi Joins Nationwide Anti-Robocall Litigation Task Force
Published 9:46 am Monday, August 15, 2022
Last week, it was announced that the State of Mississippi is joining a nationwide Anti-Robocall Litigation Task Force of 50 Attorneys General to investigate and take legal action against the telecommunications companies responsible for bringing a majority of foreign robocalls into the United States. This bipartisan nationwide Task Force has one goal: to cut down on illegal robocalls.
Robocalls are an unwanted intrusion on our privacy and often the gateway to
fraud. I am committed to stopping illegal and unwanted calls. This nationwide effort will give bad actors nowhere to run and nowhere to hide their illegal activities.
The Task Force has issued 20 civil investigative demands to 20 gateway providers and other entities that are allegedly responsible for a majority of 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. In many cases, they appear to be intentionally turning a blind eye in return for steady revenue. The Task Force will focus on the bad actors throughout the telecommunications industry, to help reduce the number robocalls that Mississippians receive and benefit the companies that are following the rules.
As always, an informed consumer is a scammer’s worst nightmare. Please know the signs of a scam and be sure to report them to my office so we can take appropriate action, as well.
Below are my tips to avoid scams and unwanted calls:
- Be wary of callers who specifically ask you to pay by gift card, wire transfer, or cryptocurrency. For example, the Internal Revenue Service does not accept iTunes gift cards.
- Look out for prerecorded calls from imposters posing as government agencies. Typically, the Social Security Administration does not make phone calls to individuals.
- If you suspect fraudulent activity, immediately hang-up and do not provide any personal information.
- Contact our Consumer Protection Division at consumer@ago.ms.gov or complete our consumer complaint form here.
