Beautiful Virgin Islands

Wednesday, Feb 05, 2025

Everyone is fed up with robocalls. Now 48 states are suing one company that they say made 7.5 billion of them.

Everyone is fed up with robocalls. Now 48 states are suing one company that they say made 7.5 billion of them.

The lawsuit alleges that Avid Telecom used fake caller ID numbers to make it seem like calls were from government officials and private companies.
Attorneys general across the US joined in a lawsuit against a telecommunications company accused of making more than 7.5 billion robocalls to people on the national Do Not Call Registry.

The 141-page lawsuit was filed Tuesday by 49 attorneys general in US District Court in Phoenix against Avid Telecom, its owner Michael D. Lansky, and company vice president Stacey S. Reeves. It seeks a jury trial to determine damages.

The lawsuit arises from the nationwide, bipartisan Anti-Robocall Multistate Litigation Task Force of 51 attorneys general and the District of Columbia. It was formed last year to investigate and take legal action against telecommunications companies routing volumes of robocall traffic.

On Twitter, reactions to the suit suggest legal action couldn't have come soon enough.

"What took so damn long," one user asked.

Arizona Attorney General Kris Mayes said nearly 197 million of the robocalls were made to Arizona phone numbers between December 2018 and January 2023.

The lawsuit said Avid Telecom used spoofed or invalid caller ID numbers, including for more than 8.4 million calls that appeared to be coming from government and law enforcement agencies, as well as private companies.

The company also allegedly sent or transmitted scam calls about the Social Security Administration, Medicare, Amazon and DirecTV, as well as auto warranties, employment and credit card interest rate reductions.

"Americans are sick and tired of their phones ringing off the hook with fraudulent robocalls," New York Attorney General Letitia James said in a statement. "Seniors and vulnerable consumers have been scammed out of millions because of these illegal robocalls."

The lawsuit alleges Lansky and Reeves violated the Telephone Consumer Protection Act, the Telemarketing Sales Rule, and other federal and state telemarketing and consumer laws.

"Contrary to the allegations in the complaint, Avid Telecom operates in a manner that is compliant with all applicable state and federal laws and regulations," said Neil Ende, the company's outside legal counsel. "The company has never been found by any court or regulatory authority to have transmitted unlawful traffic, and it is prepared to meet with the attorneys general, as it has on many occasions in the past, to further demonstrate its good faith and lawful conduct.

"While the company always prefers to work with regulators and law enforcement to address issues of concern, as necessary, the company will defend itself vigorously and vindicate its rights and reputation through the legal process," Ende added.

Robocalls have been an issue during elections in recent years. During the 2020 election, voters across the US received anonymous robocalls in the weeks leading up to Election Day telling them to " stay safe and stay home."

Two conservative hoaxers were convicted of fraud for making over 85,000 robocalls to Black voters in five states.

The calls falsely stated that giving information in mail-in ballots could lead to arrest, debt collection, or forced vaccination. Their sentence included spending 500 hours registering voters in low-income neighborhoods of Washington, DC.

In April, robocalls were used to target cryptocurrency investors in fake calls from overseas scammers pretending to be Coinbase.
Read the original article on Associated Press. Copyright 2023. Follow Associated Press on Twitter.
Newsletter

Related Articles

Beautiful Virgin Islands
0:00
0:00
Close
European Union Proposes Reforms to 1951 Refugee Convention
China's humanoid robots poised to transform everyday living and spiritual functions.
Changes in US tariffs on Chinese products could affect consumers more significantly than they do China.
How Innovations in China's Humanoid Robots Ignite Fierce Competition with the US
Germany Experiences 34% Decrease in Asylum Applications During Migration Discussion
Experts Challenge Conviction of UK Nurse Lucy Letby for Baby Killings
AfD Chief Alice Weidel Enhances Global Standing Through Meeting with Viktor Orban
Nigel Farage's Reform UK Party Leads Poll Amid Growing Public Demand for Change
Conor Murphy Steps Down as Northern Ireland Economy Minister to Join Irish Parliament
Over 1 Million Face Penalties After Missing HMRC Self-Assessment Tax Deadline
Scottish Government Denies Plans to Ban Cat Ownership Amid Controversy
Bridget Phillipson Urges Parents to Prioritize School Attendance Amid Rising Absence Rates
Keir Starmer Advocates for Stronger UK-EU Security Partnership in Brussels
Six English Councils Granted Permission to Raise Council Tax Bills Above Cap Amid Financial Struggles
Keir Starmer Faces Growing Backlash Over Potential Approval of Rosebank Oilfield
AI Consciousness Raises Ethical Concerns, Say Experts
Families Urge NHS England to Release Full Report on Nottingham Triple Homicide
NHS Initiates Largest AI Trial for Breast Cancer Detection
UK Tightens Regulations on Online Sales of Weight-Loss Injections
Gambling Ads Shown to Parents on Baby Monitor App, Raising Concerns
Ancient Irish Rainforests at Risk Due to the Growth of Monoculture Plantations
EU Leaders Deliberate on Defense Strategy Amid Rising U.S. Tensions
EU Leaders Convene Important Summit on Defense in Response to Rising Tensions
Trump Directs Establishment of U.S. Sovereign Wealth Fund, Considers TikTok Purchase
Britain Considers U.S. Gas Imports in Response to Possible Trump Tariffs
French Prime Minister Bayrou Confronts Several No-Confidence Votes Regarding the 2025 Budget
Shutdown of USAID Headquarters in Light of U.S. Government Reduction Initiatives
President Trump Launches Establishment of U.S. Sovereign Wealth Fund with Possible TikTok Purchase
Investigation Launched Following Viral Video of Bodybuilder's Airport Prank
Cooling Blankets: A Remedy for Those Who Sleep Hot or Just a Marketing Ploy?
Trump Wins Again as Canada Agrees to Strengthen Border Security
Trump Seeks Rare Minerals from Ukraine in Exchange for U.S. Support
EU Leaders Reach Consensus to Increase Defence Expenditure in Response to Growing Security Threats
UK Business Confidence Declines Amid Economic Uncertainty, Lloyds Survey Shows
Abhishek Sharma's Century Secures India a 4-1 T20 Series Win Over England
UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer will welcome German Chancellor Olaf Scholz for talks at Chequers.
Australian soccer sensation Sam Kerr confronts a racial abuse trial in London.
Lloyds and Barclays Bank Customers Experience Service Outages
Thames Water Seeks Court Approval for £3 Billion Rescue Plan Amid Crisis
UK Manufacturing Activity Contracts for Fourth Consecutive Month in January, PMI Shows
Ex-British Soldier Receives Sentence for Espionage on Behalf of Iran and Fleeing Custody
Emergency Crews Deployed on Santorini as Earthquake Swarm Raises Concerns
Wall Street Journal Criticizes Trump's Trade War with Canada and Mexico
Trump Freezes Tariffs on Mexico After Agreement on Border Security
Nearly 96% of New Cars Registered in Norway in January Were Electric
One Dead, Thousands Evacuated as Floods Hit North Queensland
Bart De Wever Appointed Belgium's New Prime Minister
Apple Abandons AR Glasses Project Amid Struggles with Technology and Market Demand
US Man Receives Photo Instead of Drill After Placing Order on Chinese Website
U.S. Clinical Trial Investigates Medication to Prolong Dogs' Lifespan
×