/>iAll 51 state AGs (including DC’s) have now banded together to create a litigation taskforce to stop illegal robocalls.
This is the first time in history such a taskforce has been created and it is absolutely incredible the commitment and resources that have been devoted to this national state-level movement.
This taskforce is looking to make examples of illegal robocallers–and the networks and carriers that provide access to them.
Well in April, several carriers were warned against continuing to carry illegal calls including Lingo Telecom, LLC. (Per the letter Lingo also does business as BullsEye; Trinsic Communications; Excel Telecommunications; Clear Choice Communications; VarTec Telecom; Impact Telecom; Startec, Americatel, and Lingo.)
The allegations against Lingo here are just extraordinary.
The warning letters are more or less the same and contain the rather intimidating headline: SECOND AND FINAL NOTICE LETTER from the Anti Robocall Multistate Litigation Task Force Concerning Lingo Telecom, LLC’s Continued Involvement in Suspected Illegal Robocall Traffic
Eesh.
The rest of the letter isn’t much nicer:
The Anti-Robocall Multistate Litigation Task Force’s (“Task Force”)1 investigation of Lingo Telecom, LLC (“Lingo”) has shown that Lingo has transmitted, and continues to transmit, suspected illegal robocall traffic on behalf of one or more of its customers. This Notice is the Task Force’s second and final attempt to informally apprise you of the Task Force’s concerns regarding Lingo’s call traffic, and to caution Lingo that it should scrutinize the call traffic of its current customers, evaluate the efficacy of its existing robocall mitigation policies, and cease transmitting illegal traffic on behalf of its current customers.
The letter goes on to recount Lingo’s perceived sins, including 630 traceback notices since 2019. Yikes.
Plus 282 tracebacks were sent after a taskforce CID.
Man, these guys sound dirty– at least in view of the taskforce.
Plus the taskforce relied on David Frankel’s RAPTOR data to determine there were 120 suspicious calls transmitted by Lingo from 102 unique calling numbers, exhibiting characteristics indicative of calls that are violations of federal and state laws and all of these calls were signed by Lingo with a C Level STIR/SHAKEN attestation, indicating that Lingo received the call without a signature.
Gees.
But this is all small potatoes. Now we talk about Amazon scams. Check these numbers out.
Per the letter:
- 89,100 of a sample of Amazon/Apple imposter robocalls are estimated to be attributable to Lingo;
- Nationwide, therefore, the taskforce estimates Lingo carried approximately 44.5 million of these scam robocalls;
- 297,200 of a sample of SSA/IRS government imposter robocalls were attributable to Lingo;
- Total approximately 148.6 million of these scam robocalls are estimated to be
attributable to Lingo.
My goodness. What a train wreck. Who is representing these guys and are they even TRYING to behave in a legal fashion (if the allegations are true, I mean)?
While the letter here is pretty damning I do wonder if things are really this bad over there why the taskforce hasn’t taken action. I mean a warning letter is one thing but a multi-billion dollar enforcement action is better.
And this is coming from a defense lawyer.
