Illinois Attorney General Kwame Raoul has issued a letter to the FCC to help coordinate tracing back illegal robocalls to their source. Raoul joined a coalition of states attorneys known as the General Robocall Working Group for continued collaboration between attorneys and the federal department to help end the ongoing nuisance.
Raoul says that robocalls are one of the most frequent complaints received by his office. Under the TRACED Act, which became law in December 2019, the FCC will select a single registered association to manage the work to trace back illegal robocalls. Because a call can pass through the networks of many telecom companies before reaching its final destination, tracing that call, which is key to enforcing laws against illegal robocallers, requires collaboration among telecom companies and state attorneys general. Raoul says that traceback investigations are necessary to expose voice service providers that assist and facilitate illegal robocallers.
Since 2018, Illinois has been a member of a coalition of states working with the telecom industry to combat robocalls. In 2019, Raoul, in cooperation with the FTC, announced a major crackdown on robocalls that included 94 actions targeting operations around the country that were responsible for more than 1 billion calls.
Consumers who wish to file a complaint concerning robocalls they have received can do so on the Attorney General’s website. Information about how consumers can add their number to the Do Not Call Registry is also available.