FCC To Level $37 Million Fine For “Spoofing”

A joint Federal Communications Commission and Federal Trade Commission investigation into an Arizona-based telemarketer revealed that it “made more than 2.3 million maliciously ‘spoofed’ telemarketing calls to Arizonans during a 14-month span starting in 2016 to sell home improvement and remodeling services.” The company made telemarketing calls that “spoofed,” meaning they falsely appeared on caller ID screens to be from local residents. This is the first major enforcement action against a company that uses the scam, which is particularly insidious because recipients often dial the number on their screen to complain, which means they’re calling a nearby resident who had their phone number hijacked by the telemarketer. The Arizona company where the calls originated blames the problem on a company it hired to provide an automated dialing system. A pricey technology called SHAKEN/STIR can be employed to prevent such calls, but as of now phone service providers say it is up to individual users to purchase it.