Oregon Pushes Robocall Crackdown After Americans Got 29.6 Billion Scam Calls and Texts in 2025
As part of a 50-state coalition, Oregon Attorney General Dan Rayfield is pressuring the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) to strengthen its rules cracking down on these illegal operations, after these scams resulted in losses of $2 billion for Americans.
Americans received more than 29.6 billion scam robocalls and texts, a growing and persistent nuisance that steals millions of dollars from unsuspecting victims.
Sources: National Association of Attorneys General and state attorney general releases
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The 50-state coalition sent a letter urging the FCC to strengthen its “Know Your Customer” (KYC) rules to help prevent scammers from using the U.S. communications network to make illegal robocalls.
KYC rules require customers to provide the information phone companies need to cut off unlawful callers or refuse to do business with them in the first place. The rules require phone companies to verify who their customers are and what kind of business they’re conducting.
AG Rayfield said federal regulators must step up and demand that phone companies do a better job of preventing these calls in the first place. Despite existing rules requiring phone companies to know who their customers are, the current requirements aren’t strong enough. In addition, the attorneys general urge the FCC to:
- Require providers to understand their customers’ business and examine their compliance with state and federal laws.
- Hold all phone companies to KYC standards, particularly as illegal calls are often facilitated by smaller voice service providers.
- Require providers to collect additional information on high-risk customers.