Tennessee AG joins federal coalition to crack down on telemarketing

MEMPHIS, Tenn. (WMC) - On Tuesday, Tennessee Attorney General Jonathan Skrmetti announced a partnership with the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) and other law enforcement agencies nationwide, including attorneys general from all 50 states and the District of Columbia, to crack down on illegal telemarketing targeting operations responsible for billions of calls to U.S. consumers.

The joint state and federal “Operation Stop Scam Calls” initiative builds on Tennessee’s efforts to combat the scourge of illegal telemarketing, including robocalls.

This initiative targets telemarketers and the companies that hire them as well as lead generators who deceptively collect and provide consumers’ telephone numbers to robocallers and others, falsely representing that these consumers have consented to receive calls.

It also targets Voice over Internet Protocol (VoIP) service providers who facilitate tens of billions of illegal robocalls every year, which often originate overseas.

As part of Operation Stop Scam Calls, the Tennessee Attorney General’s Office conducted over 15 scam prevention presentations statewide since July 1, 2022.

The presentations, which covered many facets of consumer education, focused heavily on how to avoid and report robocall scams. The outreach efforts served Tennesseans of various audiences, including senior adults and caregivers.

In addition to the law enforcement actions announced Tuesday, the FTC has a variety of materials aimed at helping consumers block unwanted telemarketing calls.

This includes advice related to robocalls and other unwanted calls and information on how to spot and avoid phone scams.

The FTC also has a new educational webpage that includes examples of real illegal robocalls and steps people can take to avoid robocall scams.

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