Attorney General Dave Yost, FTC, other states join forces to squash illegal robocalls

Ohio Attorney General Dave Yost unveiled on Tuesday an initiative to crack down on illegal robocall operations responsible for inundating consumers with billions of unwanted calls. The joint state and federal "Operation Stop Scam Calls," in partnership with the Federal Trade Commission and other states, builds upon the ongoing efforts of Ohio and other states to combat the persistent problem of robocalls and other unlawful telemarketing, Yost said in a news release. "Our collective efforts — from this sweep to the Anti-Robocall Litigation Task Force and beyond — help us to expand our playbook, allowing us to outwit and defeat these perpetrators in their own arena," Yost said. "Our secret weapon is consumers — whom we urge to continue reporting illicit robocalls, so we can sever these unwanted illegal robocallers' connection once and for all." The initiative targets not only telemarketers and the companies that employ them but also lead generators who deceptively collect and provide consumers' phone numbers to robocallers, falsely representing that these individuals have consented to receive such calls. In addition, Operation Stop Scam Calls focuses on voice over internet protocol, or VOIP, service providers that facilitate tens of billions of illegal robocalls annually, many of which originate from overseas. The Ohio Attorney General's Office has been working to disconnect robocallers by targeting every link in the robocall chain. In the past two years since he took office, Yost said he has redoubled those efforts, pursuing numerous legal actions and educating the public. Yost's office has sued multiple defendants this year, most recently on July 7 over a massive "car warranty" robocall scheme that generated 1,600 unwanted call complaints to the attorney general's office. Other lawsuits were filed in January, March and May. Consumers who receive unwanted calls can complete an Unwanted Call Notification Form at www.OhioProtects.org. That information is directed to the Robocall Enforcement Unit, which uses the reports to identify trends to protect Ohioans.