BALTIMORE — The Maryland Attorney General announced that phone companies are agreeing to adopt eight principles to end illegal robocalls.
Officials say an agreement between phone companies and a bipartisan public/private coalition of 51 attorneys general and 12 phone companies are working to protect phone users from illegal robocalls using prevention and enforcement.
“We are harassed by robocalls every day. It is the number one complaint to attorneys general offices across the country,” said Attorney General Frosh. “The goal of many of the individuals making these calls is to steal your identity or steal your money. These annoying and relentless calls are difficult to track and difficult to prosecute. Most often they originate outside our states and even outside our country. The principles announced today will help prevent these calls and provide law enforcement with the information needed to track down and prosecute those making illegal robocalls.”
Phone companies will work to prevent illegal robocalls by:
• Implementing call-blocking technology at the network level at no cost to customers
• Making available to customers additional, free, easy-to-use call blocking and labeling tools
• Implementing technology to authenticate that callers are coming from a valid source
• Monitoring their networks for robocall traffic.
Phone companies will assist attorneys’ general anti-robocall enforcement by:
• Knowing who their customers are so those making robocalls can be identified and investigated
• Investigating and taking action against suspicious callers – including notifying law enforcement and state attorneys general
• Working with law enforcement, including state attorneys general, to trace the origins of illegal robocalls
• Requiring telephone companies with which they contract to cooperate in traceback identification.
Phone companies have agreed to stay in contact with the coalition of attorneys general to continue to ensure the protection against robocalls as technology and scammer techniques.
