FCC proposal would cut down on robotexts

MADISON, Wis. (WMTV) - A coalition of attorneys general from across the nation, including Wisconsin, are urging the Federal Communications Commission to put a stop to robotexts.

Fifty attorneys general and Wisconsin Attorney General Josh Kaul are backing the FCC’s proposal to put an end to unwanted scam texts.

Kaul said that attorneys general nationwide have worked to reduce the number of robocalls people get, but now scammers are shifting to using robotexts.

“Like robocalls, robotexts are not only annoying but also a tool used by scammers,” Kaul said. “The FCC’s proposal will help reduce the number of robotexts that folks receive and protect consumers.”

The agency proposes requiring mobile wireless providers to block texts from invalid, unassigned or unused numbers. It also proposes blocking any numbers on a Do Not Originate list.

The coalition of attorneys general are also urging the FCC to push the wireless industry to create call authentication technology for text messages. That way, people would know if the texts they receive are from fraudulent numbers and allow law enforcement to investigate.

The FCC received over 15,000 consumer complaints in 2021 about unwanted texts, Kaul noted. He added that scammers stole more than $86 million through scam text message fraud in 2020.

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