Wash. AG, FCC solidify stance against robocall scammers

OLYMPIA — Washington is battening down on robocall scammers with a new partnership between the Attorney General’s office and the Federal Communications Commission.

Robocalls come in many forms, some legal and others illegal. Many people are familiar with automated calls from the local school district or appointment reminders for a medical check-up, but without prior permission, the unsolicited call is illegal, according to the AG’s office.

The two agencies will share critical information to investigate and develop methods of combating robocall scams; building on each other’s efforts instead of repeating what the agencies already do on their own, according to a press release from Wash. Attorney General Bob Ferguson’s office.

“The FCC and state leaders share a common enemy: robocall scammers targeting consumers and businesses,” said FCC Chairwoman Jessica Rosenworcel in the release. “My team’s commitment to protecting consumers fits hand-in-glove with state Attorneys Generals’ ongoing efforts.”

The partnership comes amid a series of measures by Ferguson to defend the state against robocall scams. Last month, his office released a Robocall Complaint Form that allows Washingtonians to report unsolicited robocalls.

The form provides more information catered toward robocall scams for quicker responses to complaints. In the past, people were limited to the office’s general consumer complaint form, according to the AG’s website.

In the past two years Ferguson has filed three lawsuits; while one is still ongoing, two of the lawsuits resulted in rulings in favor of the state. The press release indicated that this sets the precedent to show Washington residents that telephone regulations can be enforced.

His most recent lawsuit is against an Oregon-based company, Global Grid Telecom and its owner. According to the ongoing Oct. 2021 lawsuit, from May 2017 to Dec. 2019, the company made 54,410 illegal commercial calls to Washington consumers.

In March 2021, Ferguson and other attorneys general won a lawsuit against two companies responsible for 1.7 million robocalls in Washington, resulting in $495,000 being paid to legitimate charities. The August prior, he won a case against a Vancouver company resulting in a $10 million payment in civil penalties, the release said.

“Robocall scammers should be on notice that we are constantly expanding our resources and expertise — Washingtonians are not easy targets,” Ferguson said.

If a caller is asking for personal information, advertising an ‘amazing’ offer or requesting payments while at times using threats and other intimidation methods, it could be a scam. Ferguson’s office recommends you hang up and not pay or accept any offers.

The office’s online resource asks that people resist calling the potential scammer back to confront them. Upon receiving a suspicious call, block and report the phone number, the release said.