The Federal Communications Commission has now ordered phone companies to block and stop carrying robocall traffic of scammers using the technology to call phones with messages about auto warranties.
FCC’s Robocall Response Team said in a Thursday statement that U.S. phone companies must “take all necessary steps to avoid carrying this robocall traffic,” or they'll have to provide a report detailing how the voice service providers are mitigating the calls.
FCC Chairwoman Jessica Rosenworcel said, “Consumers are out of patience, and I’m right there with them.”
The order comes as the FCC saw unprecedented complaints regarding the robocalls, pushing auto warranty calls to the top of the list and becoming the top robocall complaints. As Bloomberg reported, other top robocall complaints included those regarding Social Security number phishing scams, fake insurance scams, credit and credit card scams, along with healthcare and other scams regarding phony lawsuits or criminal issues, which was confirmed by the FCC.
Acting FCC Enforcement Bureau Chief Loyaan A. Egal said in the statement, “Now that U.S. voice service providers know the individuals and entities associated with this scheme, the Enforcement Bureau will closely monitor voice service providers’ compliance with this order and take appropriate enforcement action as necessary.”
