On Thursday, July 21, the Federal Communications Commission or FCC had required US telecom providers to block millions of illegal robocalls a day advertising extended vehicle warranties. 

The FCC is taking aim at a group of people who are accused of sending more than 8 billion illegal messages since 2018. 

FCC Wants to Block Robocalls

According to Los Angeles Times, the order by the FCC requires voice providers to stop carrying calls the agency has connected to 13 people and six companies, mostly based in California and Texas but also in foreign countries like Hungary. 

The robocalls produced by the group usually begin with a recorded line like "We've been trying to reach you about your car's extended warranty," the FCC warned. 

Such calls represented the largest source of consumer complaints to the agency in each of the past two years, adding up to thousands of complaints annually. 

Also Read: FCC Chairman Junks Proposal To Allow In-Flight Voice Calls Using Mobile Phones 

As part of its scheme, the group bought access to almost 500,000 phone numbers from more than 200 area codes in the fall and winter of 2020, the FCC revealed, and then used them to make it seem like the recipients that the robocalls were coming from are local numbers. 

The group is still releasing millions of illegal robocalls every single day, the FCC said. 

Even though the FCC had previously notified the United States telecom companies about the robocalls, the recent order is the first to force the US carriers to stop transmitting them, according to Bloomberg.

By unmasking the people and entities behind the robocalls, the FCC had given the necessary information to block them, said Loyaan Egal, the Acting FCC Enforcement Bureau Chief. 

With a couple of exceptions, automated calls made without the recipient's consent are illegal under United States law. In light of the recent order, telecom companies that continue to carry the illegal calls may be held liable themselves. 

International Operation

The FCC has taken several actions against an international operations that could be responsible for billions of illegal warranty calls, according to WHNT.

According to the agency, more than eight billion robocalls have been generated through an operation run by Aaron Michael Jones, Roy Cox, Jr., Sumco Panama, and other international companies. 

The agency announced in July that all US phone providers were issued a notice allowing them to block traffic from eight companies that are connected to the operations.

The eight companies include Fugle Telecom, Call Pipe, Geist Telecom, Global Lynks, SipKonnect, Mobi Telecom, Virtual Telecom, and South Dakota Telecom. 

Tips to Avoid Scams

The FCC has given tips to the public to help them stay safe from auto warranty scams. The agency has advised the public not to provide any personal information to anyone that calls unexpectedly and not share anything about their phone information either. 

Also, be aware at all times because scammers are good at what they do, and they may use real information to get your trust and claim that they work for a trusted company. 

Do not trust called IDs as they may spoof a number, falsifying what they show on your display, and make it seem like they are calling from a local number instead of an illegal one.  

Related Article: FCC Issues Cease and Desist to Stop Auto Warranty Spam Calls

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Written by Sophie Webster