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NY Attorney General Letitia James to crack down on robocalls

Letitia James
Posted at 1:54 PM, Aug 02, 2022
and last updated 2022-08-02 14:01:04-04

NEW YORK, N.Y. (WKBW) — Attorney General Letitia James joined a nationwide coalition of 50 attorneys to form an anti-robocall task force.

The coalition will investigate and take legal action against the telecommunications companies that are responsible for a majority of the robocalls in the country.

"Robocalls are more than just a nuisance, they are used to scam seniors and defraud consumers," James said.

The National Consumer Law Center and Electronic Privacy Information Center report that over 33 million robocalls target Americans every day. Many of these calls include fraudulent calls against seniors, Amazon customers, and other vulnerable groups.

These calls involve scammers impersonating government agencies or well-known companies in order to deceive targets.

The attorney general advises New Yorkers to do the following:

  • Be wary of callers who specifically ask you to pay by gift card, wire transfer, or cryptocurrency. For example, the IRS does not accept iTunes gift cards.
  • Look out for prerecorded calls from imposters posing as government agencies. Typically, the Social Security Administration does not make phone calls to individuals.
  • If you suspect fraudulent activity immediately hang up and do not provide any personal information.
  • To report a scam, file an online complaint here.