Untangling a robocaller web

Sick of getting robocalls and other unwanted calls? You can learn more about how to block them at ftc.gov/calls.

You also might know that the FTC continues to go after the people and companies behind these calls. Case in point: today the FTC announced a case against a group of defendants that it alleges are responsible for billions of illegal robocalls.

According to the FTC’s complaint, Jamie Christiano and his companies acted as a one-stop shop for illegal telemarketers, providing autodialing software, VoIP phone service, servers to host autodialing software, and space to house the servers. Known as TelWeb, Christiano’s bundle of services was used to make illegal robocalls in at least eight other FTC lawsuits, and by the other defendants in this case. For years, Christiano and his companies ignored warning signs that TelWeb was being used to make illegal calls without putting a stop to them.

Robocalls that try to sell you something are illegal whether you’re on the Do Not Call Registry or not, unless a company has your written permission to call you that way. If you get an illegal robocall, report it at ftc.gov/complaint.

The FTC releases the phone numbers you report each day to help companies that are working to block these calls. Your reports also help law enforcement find the people behind illegal calls and stop them.

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