ORLANDO, Fla. — Robotexts are on the rise and are listed as the second most common contact method for scams behind only robocalls, according to the Federal Trade Commission.
In 2021, the Federal Communications Commission received more than 15,000 consumer complaints about unwanted texts.
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To combat the rise in robotexts, Florida Attorney General Ashley Moody, in a coalition of 51 attorneys general, is urging the FCC to adopt stronger protections for consumers against illegal robotexts.
Last year, consumers reported losing $131 million through fraudulent texts.
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Just like spam calls, spam texts are irritating and can result in victims losing millions of dollars through phishing texts, impostor scams and links containing ransomware.
“Illegal robotexts are on the rise, with many consumers receiving unwanted messages that may contain malicious links,” Moody said. “To combat scammers, I am standing with my fellow attorneys general in support of the FCC’s proposal to require that phone service providers block messages appearing to be from invalid, unallocated or unused numbers.”
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According to a news release, the attorneys general support the FCC’s proposed action that “aims to help cut down the intrusive messages by requiring mobile-wireless providers to block texts from invalid, unassigned, or unused numbers, as well as numbers on a Do Not Originate list.”
Attorneys general work to protect consumers, including fighting to reduce the number of robocalls that plague Americans. Scammers are now shifting toward using robotexts to run the same scams. Just like spam calls, spam texts are irritating and can result in victims losing millions of dollars through phishing texts, imposter scams and links containing ransomware.
The attorneys general are also urging the FCC to continue pushing the wireless industry to develop call-authentication technology for text messages.
To view a copy of the letter sent to the FCC, click here.
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