New actions target those who distributed or facilitated billions of illegal calls
Boise, ID – Idaho along with the Federal Trade Commission and other law enforcement partners nationwide, including attorneys general from all 50 states and the District of Columbia, announced a new crackdown on illegal telemarketing targeting operations responsible for billions of calls to U.S. consumers.
The “Operation Stop Scam Calls” initiative builds on the efforts of Idaho and other state and federal partners to combat the scourge of illegal telemarketing, including robocalls. This initiative targets telemarketers and the companies that hire them as well as lead generators who deceptively collect and provide consumers’ telephone numbers to robocallers and others, falsely representing that these consumers have consented to receive calls. It also targets Voice over Internet Protocol (VoIP) service providers who facilitate tens of billions of illegal robocalls every year, which often originate overseas.
“The state of Idaho and the federal government have come together to protect our residents from illegal robocalls. Often, these calls result in the harassment of unsuspecting recipients. Americans have demanded protection against robocalls; our actions demonstrate our commitment to ending these intimidation practices,” Attorney General Labrador said.
In May 2023, Attorney General Labrador announced his office’s participation in a multistate lawsuit against Avid Telecom in Arizona. The lawsuit alleges that Avid Telecom distributed or assisted in the distribution of billions of illegal and fraudulent telemarketing calls to consumers nationwide.