Ohio AG, FCC Act Against Alleged Illegal Robocall Campaign
Nearly two dozen individuals have engaged in a robocall campaign that "bombarded American consumers with billions of robocalls" about auto warranty plans since "at least July 2018," said a lawsuit filed by Ohio Attorney General Dave Yost (R) in the…
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U.S. District Court for the Southern District of Ohio Thursday. The lawsuit alleges the defendants violated the Telephone Consumer Protection Act and Telemarketing Sales Rule, plus Ohio's Consumer Sales Practices Act and the Telephone Solicitation Sales Act. It alleges the defendants received "over $12.9 million from at least 13 entities that sell [vehicle service contracts] to Ohio consumers" between 2018 and 2021. Two of the defendants, Californians Aaron Jones and Roy Cox, were named as "recidivist robocallers." The FTC sued Cox in 2011 for "strikingly similar business practices." Jones was sued twice by the FTC and once by Texas. Yost said the lawsuit "coincides with the FCC issuing the cease and desist letters" and a public notice to voice service providers "informing them of the letters and authorizing them to cut off any traffic from the pertinent targets." The FCC didn't comment on whether the letters are new. “Auto warranty scams are one of the top complaints we get from consumers and it’s time to hold those responsible for making these junk calls," said Chairwoman Jessica Rosenworcel. The alleged robocall campaign resulted in "more than 1,600 unwanted-call complaints to my office," Yost said.