Vermont has joined a nationwide Anti-Robocall Litigation Task Force of 50 states to investigate and take legal action against the telecommunications companies responsible for bringing foreign robocalls into the U.S. Gateway providers that bring robocalls into the U.S. have a responsibility to ensure the call traffic is legal, but these providers are not doing enough to stop illegal robocalls. The Task Force will focus on the bad actors throughout the telecommunications industry to shut down gateway providers that profit from scam calls and help reduce the number of robocalls nationwide, including in Vermont where an estimated 3 million robocalls hit last month.
“The Attorney General’s Office is committed to stopping illegal robocalls in Vermont,” said Attorney General Susanne Young. “Partnering with other states on this important effort will bring us all closer to the shared goals of protecting our most vulnerable citizens and ending scam robocalls.”
According to the National Consumer Law Center and Electronic Privacy Information Center, over 33 million scam robocalls are made to Americans every day. These scam calls include Social Security Administration fraud against elders, Amazon scams against consumers, and many other scams targeting all consumers, including some of our most vulnerable citizens.
Most scam robocall traffic originates overseas and is carried into the U.S. telephone system by gateway providers. The Task Force is focused on shutting down the providers that profit from this illegal call traffic and refuse to take steps to reduce scam calls. To date, the Task Force has issued 20 civil investigative demands to gateway providers they believe brought scam robocalls into the U.S.
Vermont’s participation in the Task Force is the latest action taken by the Attorney General’s Office in its ongoing fight to stop illegal robocalls. In 2021, the Office created a Robocall Enforcement Team to trace individual robocalls and identify the U.S. companies responsible for bringing the calls to Vermont. Since then, the Attorney General’s Office has settled with a Florida-based company, Strategic IT Partner, and filed a federal lawsuit against a California-based company, TCA VOIP, for bringing millions of illegal robocalls into Vermont.
The Attorney General’s Consumer Assistance Program (CAP) provides information and assistance to Vermonters who have experienced scams. All Vermonters are encouraged to report scams and illegal robocalls to CAP by completing the online scam reporting form or calling 1-800-649-2424.
Contact: Lauren Jandl, Chief of Staff, 802-828-3171