Attorney General Hanaway Launches Phase 2 of Operation Robocall Roundup Targeting Major Telecom Providers

JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. – Today, Missouri Attorney General Catherine Hanaway announced the next phase of Operation Robocall Roundup, expanding Missouri’s ongoing crackdown on illegal robocalls harassing consumers across the state.

As part of a nationwide effort, the bipartisan Anti-Robocall Multistate Litigation Task Force has launched investigations into four major voice service providers, Inteliquent, Bandwidth, Lumen, and Peerless, and has ordered them to stop transmitting suspected illegal robocalls across their networks.

“Missourians are overwhelmed by fraudulent and abusive robocalls, and the companies enabling this surge must be held accountable,” said Attorney General Hanaway. “My Office is committed to protecting consumers and stopping scammers at the source. If telecom providers ignore the law, we will take action.”

These four companies collectively continue to transmit hundreds of thousands, and in some cases millions, of suspected scam calls, despite repeated traceback notices and years of warnings from industry investigators.

The scope of suspected illegal robocall activity includes:

• Inteliquent: 9,712 traceback notices; an estimated 450 million Amazon/Apple imposter calls; 1.425 billion Social Security Administration (SSA)/IRS imposter calls.
• Bandwidth: 3,060 traceback notices; an estimated 162.7 million Amazon/Apple imposter calls; 301 million SSA/IRS imposter calls.
• Peerless: 5,662 traceback notices; an estimated 210.7 million Amazon/Apple imposter calls; 585.3 million SSA/IRS imposter calls.
• Lumen: 7,265 traceback notices; an estimated 261.5 million Amazon/Apple imposter calls; 886.2 million SSA/IRS imposter calls.

These traceback notices indicate that each company transmitted calls tied to active illegal robocall campaigns, including impersonation schemes involving Amazon, Apple, the SSA, and the IRS.

As large national providers, these companies bear heightened responsibility to monitor and block illegal traffic. Despite extensive notice, each continues to route suspected scam calls into American homes.

During phase one, the Missouri Attorney General’s Office joined attorneys general nationwide in sending warning letters to 37 smaller voice providers that were failing to comply with robocall mitigation rules. Since that action:

• 13 providers were removed from the FCC’s Robocall Mitigation Database, cutting off their ability to route any calls.
• 19 providers stopped appearing in traceback results, indicating they ceased transmitting illegal robocalls.
• Multiple companies terminated high-risk customer accounts responsible for fraudulent traffic.

“Cracking down on illegal robocalls requires constant pressure and coordinated enforcement,” Attorney General Hanaway said. “Phase 2 represents another major step in shutting down the networks scammers depend on.”

The Anti-Robocall Litigation Task Force, formed by 51 state attorneys general, focuses on identifying and prosecuting telecom providers that carry the highest volumes of illegal robocall traffic into the United States.

Missourians who receive unwanted or fraudulent robocalls are encouraged to report them to the Attorney General’s Consumer Protection Unit at 800-392-8222 or online at ago.mo.gov.

Phase 1 press release can be read here.