Continues work to protect consumers from annoying — and deceitful — robocalls
October 19, 2024 - OAKLAND — California Attorney General Rob Bonta on Friday joined the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) and a coalition of 51 bipartisan attorneys general in issuing a warning letter to a telecom company responsible for transmitting suspected illegal robocall traffic, including robocalls that impersonated government officials and imitated a hotline used by the Illinois Attorney General’s office.
In the warning letter, Attorney General Bonta and the attorneys general on the nationwide Anti-Robocall Multistate Litigation Task Force warn iDentidad Advertising Development LLC dba iDentidad Telecom (iDentidad) that they need to cease transmitting any unlawful call traffic immediately. Originating and transmitting illegal robocalls violates the Telephone Consumer Protection Act, the Telemarketing Sales Rule, the Truth in Caller ID Act, and other state consumer protection laws.
“Consumers deserve to know that the voice on the other end of the line is precisely who they claim to be. Robocalls aren’t just frustrating, they can result in serious financial harm and the impersonation of government officials,” said Attorney General Bonta. “I am proud to join in this national, bipartisan effort to protect consumers from unwanted robocalls and warn companies to stop illegal conduct immediately.”
The Task Force notes that iDentidad is a gateway provider responsible for funneling high-volume robocall campaigns from outside the country into the U.S., including a large number of illegal or suspicious calls involving IRS/Social Security Administration government imposters, utility scams, and financial scams. The letter warns iDentidad that if they don’t stop routing suspicious or illegal robocall traffic, the attorneys general may take legal action including seeking damages, civil penalties, and injunctions. In addition to the warning letter, the FCC also sent a cease-and-desist to iDentidad today, demanding that it immediately stop supporting illegal robocall traffic on its network.
The Anti-Robocall Multistate Litigation Task Force of 51 bipartisan attorneys general investigates and takes legal action against those responsible for routing significant volumes of illegal robocall traffic into and across the United States.
Attorney General Bonta is committed to enforcing consumer protections in the state of California and speaking out for consumer protections nationwide, including working to put a stop to illegal robocalls. In February, Attorney General Bonta joined a coalition of 51 bipartisan attorneys general in issuing a warning letter to a company that allegedly sent New Hampshire residents scam election robocalls during the New Hampshire primary election. In January, Attorney General Bonta joined a coalition of 26 attorneys general in filing a comment letter responding to the Federal Communications Commission’s (FCC) notice of inquiry related to the potential impact of emerging artificial intelligence (AI) technology on efforts to protect consumers from illegal robocalls or robotexts. In May 2023, Attorney General Bonta, as part of a bipartisan coalition of 49 attorneys general, announced a lawsuit against Avid Telecom for allegedly initiating and facilitating billions of unlawful robocalls that included Social Security Administration scams, Medicare scams, and employment scams.
A copy of the letter is available here.
Source: CA. DOJ
