Illinois attorney general launches crackdown on ‘intrusive and illegal’ robocalls

Illinois is joining a multi-state effort to crack down on “intrusive and illegal” robocalls nationwide.

On Thursday, Illinois Attorney General Kwame Raoul announced the launch of Operation Robocall Roundup, a multi-state effort by the Anti-Robocall Litigation Task Force.

More than 50 attorneys general nationwide joined forces to create the task force.

The task force investigates and takes legal action against companies “responsible for significant volumes of illegal and fraudulent robocall traffic routed into and across the United States,” according to the task force’s website.

Thursday’s announcement of Operation Robocall Roundup marks the latest step taken in the task force’s efforts to “address intrusive and illegal robocalls that plague Illinoisans,” Raoul said.

“I will continue to work closely with my fellow attorneys general and the [Federal Communications Commission] to protect Illinois consumers and ensure all telecom companies play by the rules,” Raoul said.

The task force sent warning letters to 37 voice providers on Thursday that demand “immediate action to stop illegal robocalls being routed through their networks,” according to Raoul’s office.

The warning letters tell those providers they have failed to comply with FCC rules, failed to register in the FCC’s Robocall Mitigation Database and failed to file a plan describing how they will reduce “illegal robocalls on their network,” according to Raoul’s office.

“By disregarding these simple rules, the companies are allowing robocallers into their phone networks and then passing those calls on to other downstream providers until they reach the phones of Illinois residents,” according to Raoul’s office.

The task force also sent letters to 99 downstream providers that accept call traffic from the 37 companies, warning those companies that they are “doing business with bad actors that are not willing to follow rules that apply to all providers,” according to Raoul’s office.

Verizon, one of the largest telecommunication companies in the world, was named as one of those downstream providers in a list posted on the task force’s website.

On Wednesday, the FCC announced they have removed 185 noncompliant voice service providers from the Robocall Mitigation Database.

That action will prevent those providers from connecting to U.S. networks until they comply with FCC regulations, according to a statement from the FCC.

“The FCC is engaged in a comprehensive effort to combat the scourge of illegal robocalls. That includes preventing providers from connecting to our networks if they fail to meet their regulatory obligations,” FCC Chairman Brendan Carr said.