The Federal Communication Commission (FCC) has issued another huge fine in a robocalling complaint, this time against a telemarketer for placing more than 47,000 spoofed robocalls – in only two days – that made false charges against a California State Assembly candidate. The FCC robocalling fine is for $10 million.
The FCC has been issuing large fines in an attempt to deter illegal robocalling, but the practice is still growing.
In its Forfeiture Order, the FCC said that Kenneth Moser and his firm, Marketing Support Systems, made 37,610 illegal robocalls under the Truth in Caller ID Act, which prohibits manipulating caller ID information – commonly called spoofing — “with the intent to defraud, cause harm or wrongfully obtain anything of value.”
The calls were made to appear that they came from HomeyTel, a different telemarketing company, resulting in HomeyTel receiving a cease-and-desist letter from the candidate and angry complaints from those receiving the calls, a press release about the FCC robocalling fine explains. HomeyTel markets itself as a provider of legal robocalling services to political candidates.
According to the Forfeiture Order, the calls were placed about a week before the 2018 election, making allegations against the candidate that were earlier disproven by a San Diego County Sheriff’s Department investigation.
The Forfeiture Order follows a Notice of Apparent Liability the FCC had adopted and announced in December of 2019.
