Tennessee Attorney General Jonathan Skrmetti announced Tuesday his office has joined a new, joint state and federal initiative to crack down on illegal telemarketing calls to U.S. consumers.
Skrmetti’s office joined the Operation Stop Scam Calls intuitive, a partnership with the Federal Trade Commission (FTC), law enforcement agencies nationwide, and attorneys general from all 50 states and the District of Columbia.
As part of "Operation Stop Scam Calls," General Skrmetti joined a 50-state coalition of state attorneys general and the @FTC in cracking down on illegal telemarketing operations responsible for billions of calls to U.S. consumers. Read more ⬇️ https://t.co/a11RQ9pmeL
— TN Attorney General (@AGTennessee) July 18, 2023
The initiative, according to the FTC, not only targets telemarketers and the companies that hire them but also “takes action against lead generators who deceptively collect and provide consumers’ telephone numbers to robocallers and others, falsely representing that these consumers have consented to receive calls.”
The state and federal initiative also targets Voice over Internet Protocol (VoIP) service providers who facilitate illegal robocalls yearly, which, as the FTC notes, often originate overseas.
According to data from the FTC, Americans received more than 50.3 billion robocalls in 2022.
Operation Stop Scam Calls currently includes five new cases from the FTC against companies and individuals responsible for distributing or assisting the distribution of illegal telemarketing calls to consumers nationwide.
New Consumer Alert: Joining forces to help stop scam calls: https://t.co/O9Hp0eu7T5 #StopScamCalls #robocalls /6
— FTC (@FTC) July 18, 2023
Tennessee’s Skrmetti has prioritized cracking down on robocalls and illegal telemarketing practices in his office.
Earlier this year, in May, Skrmetti joined a bipartisan coalition of state attorneys general in suing Avid Telecom, a company accused of initiating and facilitating millions of Americans with billions of illegal robocalls.
“Everybody hates robocalls, especially when they are used to take advantage of our most vulnerable citizens,” Skrmetti said in a statement at the time.
In addition, Skrmetti has announced support for legislation introduced by Tennessee U.S. Representative David Kustoff (R-TN-08) that would implement stricter penalties for companies and individuals who engage in illegal telemarketing schemes, as previously reported by The Tennessee Star.
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Kaitlin Housler is a reporter at The Tennessee Star and The Star News Network.
