Attorney general launches anti-robocall initiative to stop illegal, harassing calls

Washington Attorney General Bob Ferguson announced last week an initiative to combat robocalls in Washington state. The Attorney General’s Office created a new complaint form for Washingtonians tailored for reporting robocalls and launched a website with descriptions of robocalls and telemarketing scams, including strategies for combating them.

“Robocalls are more than just annoying — they can also be illegal,” Ferguson said. “Many of our cases are based on tips we receive from Washingtonians. If robocalls are harassing you, please file a complaint with my office.”

Robocalls are a type of phone call that comes from automated systems where computers play a recorded message when someone answers the phone or when it goes to voicemail.

Tuesday’s launch is a continuation of the attorney general’s work to stop illegal robocalls, according to the news release. In the past two years, Ferguson filed three lawsuits aimed at holding illegal robocallers accountable.

Prior to the creation of the specific complaint form for robocalls, Washingtonians could report any suspicious calls through the Attorney General’s Office general consumer complaint form.

The creation of a specific complaint form for robocalls will give attorneys, investigators and staff more precise information for quicker reaction to complaints, according to a news release from Ferguson’s office.

The robocall complaint form includes specific questions for reporting the details of a suspicious call to help the office better track and discover patterns for robocalls in the state — and prevent other Washingtonians from getting more illegal calls.

Even if illegal robocallers fake their caller identification, the Attorney General’s Office has resources to track these calls when Washingtonians report their telephone number, telephone provider and the exact time and date of the call, according to the news release.

Washingtonians who suspect they have received an illegal robocall can now report the call at  

fortress.wa.gov/atg/formhandler/ago/robocallForm.aspx.

The  informational website about robocalls and telemarketing scams is accessible at atg.wa.gov/robocall-and-telemarketing-scams.

Washingtonians can also report illegal telemarketing or other types of phone scams via the general consumer complaint form at atg.wa.gov/file-complaint.

Washingtonians can also make complaints about robocalls to the U.S. Federal Trade Commission (FTC). In February alone, the FTC received 6,075 complaints from Washingtonians regarding telephone solicitations, according to the news release.

A few types of robocalls are allowed without permission, including political calls about candidates, charities asking for donations or any message that is purely informational, like calls about a flight status or school closure, according to the news release.

Some robocalls or telemarketers may come from legitimate charitable organizations, but it is wise to contact the Washington Secretary of State’s Charitable Division at 1-800-332-4483, or visit their website, to make sure any charity is registered with the state before you give money or credit card information, according to the news release.

Signs of a scam

• Caller asks for personal information. A legitimate caller should never ask for your password, social security number or bank account number. Scammers ask for your personal information to steal your money or identity.
• An offer that seems too good to be true. If the message on the call advertises something for free or at low cost, it is likely a scam.
• Request payment other than credit card. Scammers usually ask for payment with a gift card, online money transfer or other payment method that is hard to track. Resist any pressure to send immediate payment, or hang up.
• Threats, scare tactics. Some robocallers threaten individuals with cutting off their utilities, filing legal complaints against them or other actions to get them to send in money or call them back. The government or a legitimate business will generally send a letter if there is a legal issue or a problem with an account.

What to do if you suspect a robocall scam

• Do not trust your caller ID. Scammers can fake, or “spoof,” the name and number that appears on your caller ID, making it look like the call is from an unknown number, legitimate business, government agency or local number.
• Do not answer the call. If you do not recognize a phone number, you can let the call go to voicemail.
• Hang up. If you answer a call and it seems like it is a robocall, hang up immediately.
• Do not pay for or accept any offers. Scammers will try to pressure you to make a decision without doing any research or talking to friends or family who may help identify a scam. Don’t make any decisions under pressure.
• Resist the urge to call back or confront the caller. Individuals who call robocallers or scammers back can end up on a list of people who answer the calls then get more calls.
• Block. You can call your telephone service provider to see what options are available to block phone numbers associated with robocalls and telemarketing scams.
• Report. Report any robocalls or other suspicious calls you receive to the Attorney General’s Office. Some robocalls may give you an option to opt out of receiving future calls, but if the caller is a scammer, they are unlikely to honor your request. However, you can add your number to the national “Do Not Call” registry (donotcall.gov/) to reduce the number of annoying telemarketing calls.