Robocallers Would Face New Criminal Penalties, Increased Fines Under McCaskill-backed Legislation

Statement

Continuing her longstanding work to fight illegal robocalls, U.S. Senator Claire McCaskill is pushing to give regulators and prosecutors stronger tools to hold invasive callers accountable by creating a new criminal penalty and doubling the maximum fine that can be levied.

"Even with stiff penalties and aggressive enforcement, complaints have been on the rise over incessant robocalls," said McCaskill, the former chairman of the Senate Consumer Protection Subcommittee. "Missourians are fed up with these intrusive and illegal calls--and it's time we give law enforcement the tools to enforce criminal penalties to ensure that the people behind these scams are held accountable."

The Do Not Call Act would increase penalties for robocallers by allowing prosecutors to seek up to one year in prison for individuals who knowingly and willfully violate federal laws that prohibit most unsolicited robocalls. Additionally, the bill would double the maximum fine for robocall violations from $10,000 to $20,000 per call for falsifying Caller ID--a common tactic of scammers. Under most circumstances, initiating a robocall without consent of the recipient is currently illegal, with individuals being able to seek $500 in damages per illegal call.

Despite current penalties, robocalls have surged, and are the number one complaint received by the Federal Communications Commission and Federal Trade Commission. More than 4.1 billion robocalls were initiated last month, and more than 30.5 billion in 2017, up 19 percent from 2016. According to Robocall Index, Kansas City received more than 14 million robocalls during the month of May, St. Louis more than 25 million, and Springfield more than 4.7 million.

McCaskill has been outspoken on the issue of robocalls, calling on the Federal Communications Commission to take "aggressive action" to protect consumers from unwanted calls and texts. She has also urged the nation's top telecom companies to prove they are working to prevent consumers from receiving fraudulent calls, and some have since taken steps to provide consumers greater options to block calls but more work remains. McCaskill also backs a bill that would hold robocalls made by contractors collecting debt on behalf of the federal government to the same standards as other entities.

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