December 19, 2022 – Attorney General Kwame Raoul is asking the Federal Communications Commission to continue pushing the wireless industry to help protect consumers. A new proposal is hoping to help cut down on unwanted text messages by requiring mobile wireless providers to block texts from invalid, unassigned, or unused numbers, and from numbers on a Do Not Originate (DNO) list.
“As my office and attorneys general across the country crack down on robocalls, scammers are shifting to sending text messages,” Raoul said. “Robotexts are more than just a nuisance; they cost consumers time and sometimes money. I am committed to protecting the rights of Illinois consumers by fighting against illegal robocalls and robotexts.”
Just like spam calls, Raoul says spam texts are an irritation and can result in people losing millions through phishing texts, imposter scams and links containing ransomware. In 2021, the FCC received more than 15,000 consumer complaints about unwanted texts and, in 2020, scammers stole more than $86 million through frauds perpetrated via scam text messages.
Raoul and the coalition of 51 attorneys general support the FCC’s proposal to require mobile wireless providers to block unlawful text messages at the network level if they originate from fraudulent numbers. In their comments, the attorneys general ask the FCC to continue urging the wireless industry to develop call authentication technology for text messages so people can know if the texts they receive are from spoofed numbers, and law enforcement can investigate where these texts are coming from.
