FCC Goes After Voice Providers Enabling 8 Billion Auto-Warranty Robocalls

pcmag.com:

The FCC on Thursday moved(Opens in a new window) to dismantle an operation it says is behind some 8 billion auto-warranty robocalls.

The commission notified eight regional US phone companies that they have 48 hours to block incoming calls from a group of scammers collectively known as the "Cox/Jones/Sumco Panama Operation." The voice providers in question are Call Pipe, Fugle Telecom, Geist Telecom, Global Lynks, Mobi Telecom, SipKonnect, South Dakota Telecom, and Virtual Telecom.

Extended noncompliance—which in this case means two weeks—may lead the FCC to kick these providers out of the commission's Robocall Mitigation Database(Opens in a new window), which will effectively tell every telecom firm in America to block their traffic. 

This shouldn't come as a complete surprise to the eight voice providers. In letters sent this week, the FCC tells them it "previously notified you of these calls and provided you access to supporting data identifying each call, [so] you are apparently knowingly or negligently originating illegal robocall traffic."

This bout of robocalls often begin with the now rage-inducing phrase "We’ve been trying to reach you concerning your car’s extended warranty." As earlier FCC consumer guidance warns(Opens in a new window), accepting the robocall’s invitation to speak to a “warranty specialist” can lead to attempts to collect your personal information for use in ripping you off later on. 

“Auto warranty scams are one of the top complaints we get from consumers and it’s time to hold those responsible for making these junk calls,” FCC Chairwoman Jessica Rosenworcel said of this longstanding problem.

The FCC’s announcements don’t break down the math yielding the estimate of some 8 billion robocalls