From The Tribune staff reports
WASHINGTON — The FCC is attempting to put an end to the familiar robo-calls that “have been trying to reach you regarding your car’s extended warranty.”
The agency yesterday unmasked the individuals and companies using the tactic — Roy Cox Jr. and Aaron Michael Jones through their Sumco Panama companies and international associates — and ordered phone companies to stop carrying traffic regarding a known robocall scam marketing auto warranties.
The order means that all U.S. voice service providers must now take all necessary steps to avoid carrying this robocall traffic.
“We are not going to tolerate robocall scammers or those that help make their scams possible,” FCC Chairwoman Jessica Rosenworcel said in a prepared statement. “Consumers are out of patience and I’m right there with them.”
The FCC reports that the Cox/Jones/Sumco Panama operation appears to be responsible for making more than 8 billion unlawful prerecorded message calls to American consumers since at least 2018. Those calls include prerecorded marketing messages which encouraged consumers to follow prompts to speak with a “warranty specialist” about extending or reinstating their car warranty.
On July 7, the Enforcement Bureau issued a Public Notice authorizing all U.S.-based voice service providers to cease carrying any traffic originating from the Cox/Jones/Sumco Panama operation consistent with FCC regulations.
At the same time, the Bureau sent cease-and-desist letters to eight voice service provider to warn them to stop carrying what the agency termed “suspicious traffic.”
Thos eight service providers have not responded to the letters and so, as provided in the public notice, the Enforcement Bureau is directing all other carriers to refuse to carry this traffic, the FCC stated in a news release.
In addition, Rosenworcel announced the Enforcement Bureau had opened a formal case and is actively investigating these calls for possible legal violations.
Unmasking the individuals and companies involved in the robocall scam should allow voice service providers to cut off the calls, Acting FCC Enforcement Bureau Chief Loyaan A. Egal said.
“Now that U.S. voice service providers know the individuals and entities associated with this scheme, the Enforcement Bureau will closely monitor voice service providers’ compliance with this order and take appropriate enforcement action as necessary,” Egal said.
As a general matter, “Auto Warranty” scam robocalls resulted in more consumer complaints to the FCC than any other unwanted call category each of the last two years. These calls usually claim your insurance or warranty is about to expire and they frequently use consumers’ real information in order to appear legitimate.
These calls may be seeking consumers’ personal or financial information in order to defraud them, hoping to initiate a payment, and/or garnering information about active phones.
The FCC offered the following advice to anyone still receiving these kinds of spam robocalls:
Consumer Tips
- Don’t Share – Do not provide any personal information to anyone that calls you unexpectedly.
- Be Aware – Telephone scammers are good at what they do and may use real information to gain your trust and imply that they work for a company you trust.
- Caller ID – Criminals might use “spoofing” to deliberately falsify the information transmitted.
- Double Check – If you think it might be a legitimate call, hang up and call the company with which you have an established business relationship using a phone number from a previous bill or on their website.
- Let the FCC Know – File a complaint with the FCC: https://consumercomplaints.fcc.gov/.
More information (including audio of a scam call) is available at: https://www.fcc.gov/consumers/guides/beware-auto-warranty-scams