Michigan Joins Lawsuit Against Companies Responsible for Billions of Robocalls
"We've been trying to contact you about your car's expired warranty." (Oh, you mean the car I traded in seven years ago?)
"We're calling from the Visa Master Card service center. We may be able to lower your interest rate." (Really? That's odd because Visa and Master Card are competing companies...)
Michigan has joined six other states in a lawsuit against two Texas-based companies believed to be responsible for billions of robocalls over the last couple of years.
Rising Eagle Capital Group LLC and JSquared Telecom LLC are believed to be the companies responsible for more than 42 million illegal robocalls made to Michigan residents during a five-month period of 2019.
(It feels like I've personally gotten about one million of them myself.)
Michigan Attorney General Dana Nessel says the companies used pre-recorded messages directed at consumers without their consent.
"These bad actors seeking to take advantage of consumers are the exact reason we created our Robocall Crackdown Initiative,” Nessel said. “We have made it clear that illegal robocalls are not welcome here and thanks to this collaborative effort, we are holding these businesses accountable for attempting to mislead and harass consumers.”
Nessel's office says the companies use ID spoofing methods and use tactics designed to mislead victims.
Michigan joins Arkansas, Indiana, Missouri, North Carolina, Ohio, and Texas in the lawsuit.
Now here's the best part:
In addition to seeking civil penalties, the lawsuit also asks for a permanent injunction to stop the companies from violating federal and state laws in the future.
Hopefully, this will soon put an end to these types of calls.