FCC Proposes $120 Million Fine for Spoofed Robocalls

Privacy/Cyber Risk & Data Security FCC

On June 22, the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) announced a proposed fine of $120 million against a telemarketer for violating the Truth in Caller ID Act. The agency claims that the individual made nearly 100 million calls in which he falsified caller ID information in order to display incorrectly the same area code and first three digits as the consumer he was calling. “Neighbor spoofing,” according to the FCC, is an illegal technique used to appear to be calling from the recipient’s own area. If the recipient answered the call, the caller would then offer travel packages falsely claiming to represent well-known hotel and travel companies. The citation and order provides the telemarketer with 30 days to respond to the FCC.