Washington AG And FCC Team Up To Battle Illegal Robocallers

OLYMPIA, WA — Washington Attorney General Bob Ferguson's crusade against robocallers continued this week, with his office announcing a partnership with the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) to further crack down on illegal calls.

As part of the partnership, the FCC and Attorney General's Office (AGO) will begin sharing their resources and investigations to present a united front against scam callers.

“Robocall scammers should be on notice that we are constantly expanding our resources and expertise — Washingtonians are not easy targets,” Ferguson said. “I’m proud to partner with our federal colleagues to coordinate our fight against illegal robocalls. If robocalls are harassing you, please file a complaint with my office.”

For those unfamiliar (or those lucky enough to not be on one of their call lists) robocalls are automated phone calls where a computer calls and plays a recorded message to the recipient. Often the calls are scams, urging the potential victim to pay money for charges they never incurred.

“The FCC and state leaders share a common enemy: robocall scammers targeting consumers and businesses around the country,” said FCC Chairwoman Jessica Rosenworcel. “My team’s commitment to protecting consumers fits hand-in-glove with state Attorneys Generals’ ongoing efforts to combat these scams. We share a goal – to protect consumers – and agreements like this, we can also share the tools needed to achieve it.”

The FCC partnership comes just a few weeks after the AGO announced a new initiative allowing Washingtonians to report suspicious or harassing robocalls. Through that program, anyone who receives a robocall in Washington can report it online to the Attorney General's Office. They'll be asked a few questions, like when they received the call, the number it came from, and what phone service they use, all to help investigators track the callers down. The AGO says, even if the robocallers fake their caller ID, they have the tools to track them down.

Data from that program will now be shared with the FCC, and in return the AGO will receive federal resources to support its own investigations into illegal robocalls.

Under Washington state law some robocalls are legitimately allowed, like those from political candidates, charities seeking donations, or informational alerts about flight delays or school closures.

If you're unclear if the call you received was a scam or not, here are a few signs of an illegal robocall, courtesy of the Attorney General's Office:

• Caller asks for personal information. A legitimate caller should never ask for your password, social security number or bank account number. Scammers ask for your personal information to steal your money or identity.

• An offer that seems too good to be true. If the message on the call advertises something for free or at low cost, it is likely a scam.

• Request payment other than credit card. Scammers usually ask for payment with a gift card, online money transfer or other payment method that is hard to track. Resist any pressure to send immediate payment, or hang up.

• Threats, scare tactics. Some robocallers threaten individuals with cutting off their utilities, filing legal complaints against them or other actions to get them to send in money or call them back. The government or a legitimate business will generally send a letter if there is a legal issue or a problem with an account.

If you suspect you are being targeted by a robocall scam, the AGO says:

• Do not trust your Caller ID. Scammers can fake, or "spoof," the name and number that appears on your caller ID, making it look like the call is from an unknown number, legitimate business, government agency or local number.

• Do not answer the call. If you do not recognize a phone number, you can let the call go to voicemail.

• Hang up. If you answer a call and it seems like it is a robocall, hang up immediately.

• Do not pay for or accept any offers. Scammers will try to pressure you to make a decision without doing any research or talking to friends or family who may help identify a scam. Don't make any decisions under pressure.

• Resist the urge to call back or confront the caller. Individuals who call robocallers or scammers back can end up on a list of people who answer the calls then get more calls.

• Block. You can call your telephone service provider to see what options are available to block phone numbers associated with robocalls and telemarketing scams.

• Report. Report any robocalls or other suspicious calls you receive to the Attorney General's Office.

>> Learn more about robocall and telemarketing scams from the Attorney General's Office.