The attorneys general of 48 US states have joined together to denounce Avid Telecom , a company believed to have made 7.5 billion spam calls .
Attorneys general from 48 US states are coming together to file a lawsuit against Avid Telecom , a company responsible for spam robocalls .
The Arizona-based company is believed to have made some 7.5 billion calls to people on the national registry for commercial and scam offers.
The case
Avid Telecom received more than 320 notifications about illegal robocalls before the lawsuit was filed, according to the complaint signed by every state except Alaska and South Dakota.
The lawsuit was filed in the US District Court for the District of Arizona. Attorney General Kris Mayes said nearly 197 million of the robocalls allegedly initiated and facilitated by the company were made to Arizona phone numbers between December 2018 and January 2023.
“Every day, countless Arizona consumers are harassed and annoyed by a relentless barrage of spam robocalls, and in some cases, these illegal calls threaten consumers with lawsuits and arrest,” Mayes said in a press release. . “More concerning, many of these calls are scams designed to pressure scared consumers, often seniors, into handing over their hard-earned money.”
Attorneys general also sued Avid Telecom owner Michael Lansky and the company’s vice president, Stacey Reeves.
“Defendants chose profits over running a business that conforms to state and federal laws,” the lawsuit alleges. “Defendants could have chosen to implement effective and significant procedures to prevent, or even significantly mitigate, the perpetration of unlawful behavior on Avid Telecom’s network, but chose not to do so,” it reads.
The company defends itself
Neil Ende, outside legal counsel for Avid Telecom, said the company was disappointed that attorneys general did not communicate their concerns directly before filing the lawsuit.
“While the company always prefers to work with regulators and law enforcement to address issues of concern, as necessary, the company will vigorously defend itself and vindicate its rights and reputation through the legal process,” Ende said. .
Avid Telecom sells data, phone numbers, dialing software and expertise to help its customers make mass automated calls, on demand. The company offers its customers ‘Direct Inward Dialing’, which allows callers to spoof their area codes to match the codes of their recipients. The practice increases the chances that the recipient will answer the phone.
“Seniors and vulnerable consumers have been scammed by the millions due to these illegal robocalls,” New York Attorney General Letitia James said in a news release.