Attorney General Cameron Announces Nationwide Anti-Robocall Litigation Task Force

Daniel Cameron in Brownsville on May 19, 2022. (D. Doyle, photo)

Bipartisan Task Force Aims To Crack Down On Illegal Robocalls

FRANKFORT, Ky. (August 2, 2022) – Attorney General Cameron announced on Tuesday that his office joined a bipartisan coalition of 50 attorneys general in forming an Anti-Robocall Litigation Task Force. The nationwide task force will combat robocalls by investigating and taking legal action against telecommunications companies responsible for allowing foreign robocalls into the United States.

“Last year, scam robocalls resulted in $29.8 million losses nationwide, and we’re taking every possible action to protect Kentuckians from the financial losses and harm that often result from illegal robocalls,” said Attorney General Cameron. “The Anti-Robocall Litigation Task Force will allow us to leverage the resources of attorneys general across the country to push back against bad actors who allow scam robocalls to occur.” 

According to the National Consumer Law Center and Electronic Privacy Information Center, over 33 million scam robocalls are made to Americans every day. Most robocalls, which are used to perpetrate scams, originate overseas. These overseas callers gain access to the U.S. telephone network through Gateway providers. While these providers are responsible for ensuring the traffic is legal, many are not taking sufficient action to stop robocall traffic.

The Anti-Robocall Litigation Task Force will focus on tracking down bad actors who do not take steps to appropriately mitigate scam robocalls. These efforts are an important step in helping to reduce the number of robocalls that Kentuckians receive.

To avoid financial losses due to fraudulent robocalls, Kentuckians can follow these tips:

• Be wary of callers who specifically ask you to pay by gift card, wire transfer, or cryptocurrency.
• Look out for prerecorded calls from imposters posing as government agencies.
• If you suspect fraudulent activity, immediately hang-up and do not provide any personal information.
• Report scams to the Attorney General’s office at ag.ky.gov/scams or by calling 888-432-9257.

In addition to Attorney General Cameron, attorneys general from Alabama, Alaska, Arizona, Arkansas, California, Colorado, Connecticut, Delaware, District of Columbia, Florida, Georgia, Hawaii, Idaho, Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Kansas, Louisiana, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, Michigan, Minnesota, Mississippi, Montana, Nebraska, Nevada, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New Mexico, New York, North Carolina, North Dakota, Ohio, Oklahoma, Oregon, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, South Carolina, South Dakota, Tennessee, Texas, Utah, Vermont, Virginia, Washington, West Virginia, Wisconsin, and Wyoming joined the task force.

To report a scam, visit ag.ky.gov/scams.