FCC Orders Phone Companies To Block Car Warranty Robocalls
By Bill Galluccio
July 22, 2022
The Federal Communications Commission has ordered telecom providers to block robocalls trying to sell extended vehicle warranties. The FCC said that it received more consumer complaints about auto warranty calls than any other type of spam call.
“We are not going to tolerate robocall scammers or those that help make their scams possible,” FCC Chairwoman Jessica Rosenworcel said in a statement. “Consumers are out of patience, and I’m right there with them.”
The agency identified 13 individuals and six companies responsible for making over eight billion robocalls since 2018. The agency said that the calls are coming from Roy Cox, Jr., Aaron Michael Jones, and their Sumco Panama companies, which are mostly based in California and Texas, though some are overseas.
The FCC’s Enforcement Bureau is leading the investigation into the robocall scammers, who are also facing a lawsuit filed by Ohio Attorney General Dave Yost.
“Now that U.S. voice service providers know the individuals and entities associated with this scheme, the Enforcement Bureau will closely monitor voice service providers’ compliance with this order and take appropriate enforcement action as necessary,” said Acting FCC Enforcement Bureau Chief Loyaan A. Egal.
If you do receive a robocall, you can file a complaint with the FCC by going to consumercomplaints.fcc.gov.