HARTFORD, Conn. — Connecticut Attorney General William Tong announced Tuesday that 51 states are asking a court to require two companies to cooperate in multistate investigations over alleged involvement in illegal robocalls.
In August, the Anti-Robocall Litigation Task Force issued civil investigative demands to 20 companies investigators said were allegedly responsible for a majority of foreign robocall traffic. Officials said gateway providers that bring foreign traffic into the U.S. telephone network have a responsibility to ensure the traffic is legal, but these providers are not taking sufficient action to stop robocall traffic.
Two of those companies, Michael Lansky LLC, doing business as Avid Telecom, and One Eye LLC, refused to comply with the demands.
“Our Task Force has developed solid evidence that both Avid Telecom and One Eye LLC accepted and routed fraudulent robocalls, including government imposter scams, fake legal threats, and phony offers purporting to be from businesses like Amazon and Apple. These scammers are not above the law, and they cannot hide from our investigation. We are seeking a court order to enforce compliance with our investigation and to hold them accountable,” said Attorney General Tong.
Fifty-one attorneys general participate in the national task force, according to the Office of the Attorney General. Connecticut is among 16 states on the Executive Committee leading this task force.
Officials believe Avid Telecom knowingly accepted and routed illegal robocalls and their CEO, Michael Lansky, helped another telecom provider hide its suspect traffic.
RELATED: No, answering a phone call from a telemarketer does not take you off the Do Not Call Registry
The enforcement action against One Eye details how an individual named Prince Anand closed another voice service provider, PZ Telecommunication LLC, and became the apparent CEO of One Eye. This transition occurred after the Federal Communications Commission sent PZ Telecom a cease-and-desist letter.
Tong said robocalls were connected to $29.8 billion in fraud last year.
Here are some tips to avoid scams and unwanted calls:
• Be wary of callers who specifically ask you to pay by gift card, wire transfer, or cryptocurrency. For example, the Internal Revenue Service does not accept iTunes gift cards.
• Look out for prerecorded calls from imposters posing as government agencies. Typically, the Social Security Administration does not make phone calls to individuals.
• If you suspect fraudulent activity, immediately hang up and do not provide any personal information.
Doug Stewart is a digital content producer at FOX61 News. He can be reached at dstewart@fox61.com.
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