‘Scam provider’ warns to stop illegal robocalls impersonating banks, utilities and more

No, it’s not your imagination. We are faced with ridiculous, illegal robocalls. And most of the time the bad guys By impersonating your bank, seducing you by threatening to cut off your electricity or gas tax deduction, or imitate it Internal Revenue Service or Social Security Institution.

Some of these calls even impersonate a Chinese official or delivery service and accuse you of money laundering. Scammers may threaten to have you extradited to China to face criminal charges unless you send them money now.

A company linked to those calls, Miami-based iDentidad Telecom, is facing further regulatory pressure as a “prolific purveyor of fraud.”

Michigan Attorney General Dana Nessel announced that she sent a letter to iDentidad Advertising Development LLC, also known as iDentidad Telecom, warning the company that it is transmitting suspected illegal robocall traffic and that it must stop immediately.

The name iDentidad will not appear on your caller ID. Instead, the call is designed to look like it’s coming from someone you trust.

For example, in some cases you may think this is a call from your bank, credit union, or credit card issuer. “People who received the calls reported hearing a pre-recorded message impersonating a financial institution or credit card issuer, claiming to provide a transaction alert,” Nessel spokesman Danny Wimmer said.

The consumer is then instructed to make a payment or provide sensitive financial information.

The Anti-Robocall Multistate Litigation Task Force (a bipartisan group of 51 attorneys general investigating and taking legal action against those responsible for diverting significant amounts of illegal robocall traffic to and from the United States) announced on October 18 that iDentidad’ He sent a notification to .

Connecticut Attorney General William Tong issued a warning calling iDentidad a purveyor of fraud, emphasizing that “51 attorneys general and the full weight of the federal government are pursuing them.”

If iDentidad doesn’t stop forwarding suspicious or illegal robocall traffic, regulators say, attorneys general may take legal action, including damages, fines and injunctive relief.

A message was posted on iDentidad a year ago. cease and desist notice by the Federal Trade Commission and a notice from the Federal Communications Commission. The calls continued after those federal notices, according to regulators.

More: Michigan First Credit Union customers upset after losing thousands to fraud

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The FTC’s cease and desist request listed a wide range of illegal robocalls, including fraudulent calls about dubious Amazon accusations, a stolen identity possibly used in China, and those threatening to have your services cut off in 30 minutes if you don’t. payment.

The Federal Communications Commission also sent another letter on October 18, detailing illegal robocalls impersonating financial institutions between August 8 and September 14.

“We cannot allow fraudsters to target families with fake ‘transaction alerts’ from credit card companies and money transfer services,” FCC Chairman Jessica Rosenworcel said in a statement. he said.

A pre-recorded message falsely claimed to be from Visa and Mastercard support. “Two transactions were made on your card for $299.00 Walmart and $3,950 Western Union. If you made these transactions and are accepting payments, hang up. If you did not make these transactions and would like to report the fraud, please press 1 immediately.”

Another consumer reported a call that was allegedly not from Chase Bank, according to the FCC letter. “They said I was committing fraudulent activity, so I called them back, knowing they were not Chase, and they tried to get me to send them $2,000,” the consumer said.

“Robocalls that impersonate legitimate financial institutions and attempt to obtain personal information are particularly harmful,” the FCC wrote in its letter to iDentidad CEO.

“These calls not only exploit the recipient’s fear of becoming a victim of financial fraud, but also undermine legitimate financial institutions’ efforts to protect their customers.”

The calls referenced in the FCC letter were traced to Romania and Indonesia.

The task force demanded that iDentidad take steps to prevent its network from “continuing to be a source of suspected illegal robocalls.”

“If, after receiving this notification, iDentidad transmits or continues to transmit calls associated with illegal robocall campaigns, the task force may pursue enforcement action against iDentidad and its principal owners and/or operators,” according to the letter. October 18, by the Anti-Robocall Multistate Litigation Task Force.

The letter also stated: “In at least two incidents in the last month, non-Illinois residents contacted the Illinois Attorney General’s Office to report calls that, based on caller ID, appeared to be from a toll-free hotline used by the Illinois Attorney General’s Office.”

But those searches were not made by the Illinois AG’s office. “And the calls are believed to be part of a suspicious robocall campaign,” the letter said.

Since 2021, the FCC has been issuing cease and desist letters to companies suspected of launching or transmitting illegal robocall campaigns. When a warning is not enough, the FCC can take action to block ongoing illegal robocall campaigns. Such action was successful in stopping automated warranty scam robocalls, It was the top consumer complaint filed with the FCC several years ago.

Unfortunately, consumers cannot trust some of the calls they receive. Last week I received two more calls from the “help center” regarding some unpaid taxes. But I don’t owe them anything. And I know very well that if I did, I wouldn’t be able to sign up to eliminate them. “zero tax amnesty program.”

Contact personal finance columnist Susan Tompor: [email protected]. Follow him on X (Twitter) @numbness.

This article was first published in the Detroit Free Press: ‘Scam provider’ warns to stop illegal robocalls impersonating many people