The Federal Communications Commission (FCC) is taking new steps to stop annoying spam calls for automatic guarantees. If you feel like you’re getting a lot of them, you’re not alone: The FCC thinks more than 8 billion of those spam calls, which the agency says could be illegal, have been by just a few entities since at least 2018 generated .
The FCC believes the calls were generated by an “operation” made up of “Roy Cox, Jr., Aaron Michael Jones, their Sumco Panama companies and international associates,” according to an FCC press release† The FCC has told some carriers to stop making calls and has ordered all networks to “watch out for this traffic.”
The agency has also opened a formal case to investigate the calls for “possible legal violations,” and Ohio Attorney General Dave Yost has filed a lawsuit to fight the robocalling scheme, which has named 22 suspects.
“Billions of automatic robocalls with a single call campaign. Billions!” FCC Chair Jessica Rosenworcel said in a statement. “Automatic warranty scams are one of the most common complaints we receive from consumers and it’s time to address those responsible for these unwanted calls.”
I don’t know about you, but I get spam calls for automatic guarantees several times a week – even though I don’t have a car – and I personally hope these moves do something to slow them down. If you want to take matters into your own hands, check out our guide to stopping pesky robocalls.