The Iowa Attorney General’s Office announced enforcement actions against two illegal robocall agencies as part of their involvement in the national Anti-Robocall Litigation Task Force. The group, which consists of fifty-one attorneys general, launched in August 2022 to target domestic telecommunications companies responsible for bringing a majority of foreign robocalls to the U.S. The companies named in the action included Michael Lansky LLC, doing business as Avid Telecom, and One Eye LLC. The firms are accused of knowingly accepting and routing illegal calls, hiding their suspect traffic, ignoring cease-and-desist letters sent by the Federal Communications Commission (FCC), and failing to comply with requests from the task force. Iowa AG Tom Miller says, “When states formed the national Anti-Robocall Task Force, we promised to take the fight to anyone who helps these scammers and robocallers. With these investigations, we’re doing just that. The Task Force is dedicated to stopping robocalls and the scams they often facilitate. If companies aren’t willing to stand up for their customers, our offices will.” An estimated $29.8 billion was lost to scam calls in 2021, and law enforcement hopes to reduce that figure through targeted action. Miller reminds Iowans to be wary of unsolicited callers, particularly if they demand payment via gift cards, wire transfers, or cryptocurrency. Never give out personally identifiable information over the phone, and be cautious of offers that seem too good to be true. Best practice if a scam call is suspected is to hang up immediately.
