WA moves to clamp down on robocalls

By on Wednesday, March 30th, 2022 in Columbia Basin News More Top Stories

OLYMPIA – Washington Attorney General Bob Ferguson announced Tuesday an initiative to combat robocalls statewide. A new complaint form for Washingtonians tailored for reporting robocalls has been created by the Washington Attorney General’s Office.

The robocall complaint form includes specific questions for reporting the details of a suspicious call to help the office better track and discover patterns for robocalls in the state and to prevent other Washingtonians from getting more illegal calls.  Even if illegal robocalls fake their caller identification, the office has resources to track these calls when Washingtonians report their telephone number, telephone provider and the exact time and date of the call.

Additionally, as part of an effort to educate and inform Washingtonians, the attorney general’s office launched a website with descriptions of robocalls and telemarketing scams, including strategies for combating them.

Robocalls are a type of phone call that comes from automated systems where computers play a recorded message when someone answers the phone or when it goes to voicemail.

“Robocalls are more than just annoying, they can also be illegal,” Ferguson said. “Many of our cases are based on tips we receive from Washingtonians. If robocalls are harassing you, please file a complaint with my office.”

To learn more about robocalls and how to report them, visit https://www.atg.wa.gov/.