Attorney General Miyares announces enforcement against alleged illegal robocallers

RICHMOND, VA — Attorney General Jason Miyares today announced the national Anti-Robocall Litigation Task Force is seeking to require responses to investigative demands sent to two voice service providers about alleged involvement in illegal robocalls. Fifty-one attorneys general participate in the national task force.

The targets of the investigation are Michael Lansky, LLC — doing business as Avid Telecom — and One Eye, LLC. The national task force is enforcing civil investigative demands (CIDs) against each entity.

“Robocalls profit off exploiting vulnerable consumers, stealing billions of dollars annually nationwide. This task force is focused on shutting down the providers and gateways that both profit from these scams and refuse to take steps that could mitigate the problem,” said Attorney General Miyares. “Enough is enough.”

The enforcement action against Avid Telecom details several instances in which the task force believes Avid Telecom knowingly accepted and routed illegal robocalls. Further, the task force believes Avid Telecom’s CEO, Michael Lansky, helped another telecom provider hide its suspect traffic.

The enforcement action against One Eye details how an individual closed another voice service provider, PZ Telecommunication, LLC, and became the apparent CEO of One Eye. This transition occurred after the Federal Communications Commission sent PZ Telecom a cease-and-desist letter.

One Eye has stopped responding to the task force, and Avid has refused to answer the CID. The State of Indiana has moved to enforce these CIDs on behalf of the task force in Marion County, Indiana.

Attorney General Miyares offers the following tips to avoid scams and unwanted calls:

Be wary of callers who specifically ask you to pay by gift card, wire transfer, or cryptocurrency. For example, the Internal Revenue Service does not accept iTunes gift cards.
Look out for prerecorded calls from imposters posing as government agencies. Typically, the Social Security Administration does not make phone calls to individuals.
If you suspect fraudulent activity, immediately hang up and do not provide any personal information.
In August, Attorney General Miyares joined a nationwide Anti-Robocall Litigation Task Force to investigate and take legal action against the telecommunications companies responsible for bringing a majority of foreign robocalls into the United States.

Virginians who have a question, concern, or complaint about a consumer matter should contact Attorney General Miyares’ Consumer Protection Section:

· By phone: (800) 552-9963

· By email: consumer@oag.state.va.us

· Online Complaint Form

· Online Contact Form