The Federal Communications Commission (FCC) is taking new steps to try and stop annoying auto warranty spam calls. If you feel like you get a lot of them, you’re not alone: the FCC thinks that more than 8 billion of those spam calls, which the agency says could be illegal, have been generated by just a few entities since at least 2018.
The FCC believes the calls have been generated from an “operation” consisting of “Roy Cox, Jr., Aaron Michael Jones, their Sumco Panama companies, and international associates,” according to an FCC press release. The FCC has told some carriers to cease and desist carrying the calls and ordered all networks to “be on the lookout for this traffic.”
The agency has also opened a formal case to investigate the calls for “possible legal violations,” and Ohio Attorney General Dave Yost has filed a lawsuit to combat the robocalling scheme, naming 22 defendants.
“Billions of auto warranty robocalls from a single calling campaign. Billions!” FCC Chairwoman Jessica Rosenworcel said in a statement. “Auto warranty scams are one of the top complaints we get from consumers and it’s time to hold those responsible for making these junk calls.”
I don’t know about you, but I get multiple auto warranty spam calls per week — even though I don’t own a car — and I’m personally hoping these moves do something to slow them down. If you want to take matters into your own hands, check out our guide on how to stop annoying robocalls.
