FTC Mounts Nationwide Offensive On Phone Spam Ecosystem

The other day when the Federal Trade Commission teased a big hoo-hah announcement of partnership with state agencies to combat junk phone calls, I kept a browser tab open but thought no more of it. We've seen the fist-waving before, the havoc-crying, the Kraken-releasing, the end game previewing. Weeks later the charts come out, telling us x-billion calls per month have strained the US phone networks, with arrows and lines aiming ever upward. We all love the small victories when career frauds are stymied here and there, and groan loudly when they elude their fines and resume pumping trash from new spam factories.

Well, I'm not saying my skeptical armor is pierced, but the FTC did twitch a hope nerve. What I thought would be a rehash of pending cases and warmed-over MoUs really affirms a different approach, featuring the debut of a suite of prominent enforcement actions. One of those actions I've already blathered about yesterday. The rest join to magnify the regulatory trend of this decade, attacking the phone spam ecosystem from multiple directions.

Here's the new rogues' gallery, all sued yesterday:
Fluent, LLC: Manages network of advertisers to drive job and prize seeker traffic to its sales lead generator websites, dubbed "consent farms", which never deliver teased rewards
Hello Hello Miami: Gateway VOIP provider to over eleven foreign spammers -- Opened firehose to Amazon impostor calls, over half of which pestered DNC registrants.
Solar Xchange: Blasted "tens of millions" of repeat solar sales calls to DNC registrants, keeping its true business name concealed -- Also on the hook for sending liar sales agents to homeowners
Viceroy Media Solutions: Runs job hunter websites which function as lead generation "consent farmers" for illicit sales call clients
Yodel Technologies: Florida soundboard operator and source of over 500 million calls to DNC registrants -- Known for "Can you hear me okay?" prods -- The FTC's ban hammer is poised overhead.

Here's a bit of yesterday's press release:
    "The Federal Trade Commission and more than 100 federal and state law enforcement partners nationwide, including the attorneys general from all 50 states and the District of Columbia, announced a new crackdown on illegal telemarketing calls involving more than 180 actions targeting operations responsible for billions of calls to U.S. consumers. ....
    .... The initiative 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 effort also targets Voice over Internet Protocol (VoIP) service providers who facilitate illegal robocalls every year, which often originate overseas."

There is some review by the DoJ of older cases which have led to this month's crescendo. I'll forgive the hit replays since some of them have inspired criminal prosecution and frustration of cross-border fraud.

Offensive plan code name: "Operation Stop Scam Calls"

... Bleah. What a boring name. Come on, guys, we need a zinger to print on the banners to yet wave. Hmmm. [drums fingertips]

"Drive Out Nasty Telephone Crooks and Loser Liars" .... DON'T CALL!
How 'bout this one: "Kick Out Frauds From USA Phones" .... KOFFUP, dirtbag!
Cut the "Phone" from my thread title and you have NOOSE!
"Blow Up Your Telecomm Huckster Ecosystem For All Ringing Mobiles", or BUY THE FARM!

Boy, forming rallying acronyms is harder than it looks ....

OOOH! Embroidered ball caps in neon green with "SET MY TELEPHONE FREE AGAIN" on the brow. Ehhh, not so sure I want that boiled to "SMYTE FRAG".

. . . . . . . . . .

FTC, Law Enforcers Nationwide Announce Enforcement Sweep to Stem the Tide of Illegal Telemarketing Calls to U.S. Consumers - FTC, 18 Jul 2023
E-I-E-I-NO: Operation Stop Scam Calls targets operators that facilitate illegal robocalls, including “consent farms” - FTC, 18 Jul 2023  (Lesley Fair at least always appreciates a pun.)
U.S. Department of Justice, Federal Trade Commission, Federal Communications Commission and Other Federal and State Law Enforcement Agencies Announce Results of Nationwide Initiative to Curtail Illegal Telemarketing Operations - U.S. Department of Justice, 18 Jul 2023
FTC Announcement Of Operation Stop Scam Calls - National Law Review, 18 Jul 2023  (Let it not be said I never give time to the corporate apologist lobby.)

I like Koffup and Buy the Farm - although DishNetwork may be the only serial telemarketer which totally bought the farm. This week I can't recall a single Amazon Scamazon call, and just one or two Yodel "can you hear me okay?" Medicare additional benefits calls from "Medicare Dept. of Healthcare Benefits." Not sure if this week's solar calls are connected to Solar Xchange.

How about Silence Spammers and Scammers!!!   The best thing I ever did was get a robocall blocker and then block their callback number if it was not technically a robo call.   I am seeing fewer and fewer of these calls.  I hate calls that come up unknown, some come up anonymous but show the number.  These calls are getting harder and harder to track on Google as now for the most part nothing is coming up on some of the suspected Crooks calling from Putins basement.

Lots of Scammers using Aetna, Humana, etc to try to scam people who have these insurance companies.  plus who would Aetna and Humana have phone numbers that were nearly identical.  Found out once from an aetna employee that the number in question was not theirs.  Have gotten spam calls from myself before.

Meren wrote:

These calls are getting harder and harder to track on Google...

Since most scam/spam calls tend to be using spoofed numbers, trying to gather information about the caller using Google, Bing, DDG, Yahoo, etc. is pretty much a waste of effort.  Even if you know a number belongs to a scam caller (they tell you to call back on the same number they called from or give you a specific callback number) they probably have not had the number for long (and probably has not been added to any directory updates) and they will not keep it for long.  Plus, it does not cost much to add on Unpublished/Unlisted service to a number, thus keeping it from appearing on any directory lists (I have had this on my own personal home number for years and, after a decade, web searches for my number still only return the names of the previous couple of subscribers to it).

Meren wrote:

I hate calls that come up unknown, some come up anonymous but show the number.

Personally I feel that, due to spoofing, caller ID has pretty much become useless.  Even if the display shows someone that you have on your contact list, you still cannot be sure the call is actually from them until you answer it.

Meren wrote:

Have gotten spam calls from myself before.

I have had the same happen, which is why my own number is in my call block list.  Since it is impossible to call a phone number from that number, there is no potential problem with blocking a number on its own line.  I have also received evidence that my number has been spoofed in calls to other people, in the form of messages left asking why "I" called them.

If you're trying to connect call blocking by a device you own to a lower count of nuisance calls, you have coincidence, not cause-and-effect. The blocker isn't directly communicating anything to blocked callers. Even if blockers did kick back any sort of "don't bother me" flag, unwanted callers would be unlikely to alter their plans, except to try harder to make contact. Try spreading an umbrella during a storm and see if the rain stops.

Maybe an irrigation system is a better analogy, one with endless easy ways to add and remove its pipes and splitters and sprayers. The regulatory trend moves away from plugging holes and toward cutting the water supply, as far upstream as feasible. One problem they have is that no one has a reliable pipe map because the system changes too often and much of it is underground.

No one has EVER been arrested or gone to jail for robocalling or spoofing phone numbers. A scammer can literally make billions of calls without fear of incarceration.  That’s a fact.

Robo calls and spoofing is the most egregious example of organization crime this country has ever faced.
No town or city in this country is immune to it.  The problem worsens every passing day. Few people if any answer their phones anymore unless its a known caller. As a result, scammers are now targeting text messages.   This network of criminal behavior has no consequences for the scammers.  Until this becomes a Felony, nothing will ever change.

Last week I'd briefly cited DoJ criminal prosecution of fraud schemes involving phone spam. The press release link is right there for anyone wishing to read a little outside the thread topic. But this apparently is not enough for the Gubmint Does Nuthin' Club.

The DoJ release itself refers to convictions obtained in ten criminal cases from the past twelve months, mainly cross-border lottery and romance schemes. All but one featured defendant have been rewarded with years-long prison sentences. The leftover remains at the indictment stage.

I am making it your personal project to study those cases and report to us if any defendants somehow fail to honor their Big House commitments. To avoid a sprain I suggest first warming up your dominant clicker finger.

Ehh, who am I kidding? This is so much pee in your wind again. We've had practically the same argument twice before:

    Apr 2020: Fact: no one has ever gone to jail over robo calls....EVER.
    May 2022: there are NO criminal laws against robocalling.  Nobody has ever served one day in jail for it.

If you only want to beat your knuckles and howl "Jail For Junk Callers", do it on your own time. If you insist your opinion is a fact, you should be ready to support it. We've been kept waiting for your homework since COVID was declared a pandemic. I suppose you want jail time for the viral spores while you're at it.

I got a fine extra credit project besides, where you explain to us why in recent years prison was not a deterrent but a platform for the vile gangs who have managed massive extortion rackets entirely from mobile phones smuggled into their cells. This time I am not embedding any springboard hyperlinks. You'll have to earn those credits.

Americans received 53 Billion illegal  robo calls last year. But it’s only a civil offense, not a criminal crime.
Not one single person has ever gone to jail for it.   Please review the Telephone Consumer Protection Act (TCPA) covering robo and spoofed calls and then name one individual that has been criminally prosecuted for violating that Act.
You continue to bloviate at length because your arguments and logic are defective.

Ah, one of those types who don't see the criminals they encountered get caught, so the whole system is a failure, right?  You can read, can't you? Here, let me help with the second paragraph that you seem to have difficulty reading:

Resident47 wrote:

The DoJ release itself refers to convictions obtained in ten criminal cases from the past twelve months, mainly cross-border lottery and romance schemes. All but one featured defendant have been rewarded with years-long prison sentences. The leftover remains at the indictment stage.

I underlined a few words that you should pay close attention to, as it addresses your concerns. Perhaps ask someone to read those Articles for you, because it seems you are only able to skim basic words you see in them and formulate a blurry opinion of what you read.

Several examples that refute your claims have been clearly presented on this very forum, multiple times.  Reading comprehension does not appear to be your super power, but "defective bloviating" certainly is a strength.

"Until this becomes a Felony, nothing will ever change." Oh, yes, because everyone knows criminals won't do something if it's a felony.

One has to wonder why you did not directly reply to him if you wanted to dispute what he said.  Not that it would matter since you are way out of league.