📞🚫When “Don’t Call” is Just a Suggestion: Telecom Titan Tagged for Tantalizing 7.5 Billion Robocalls 🤯🚨
TL;DR;
Telecom behemoth, Avid Telecom, with its dynamic duo, owner Michael D. Lansky and VP Stacey S. Reeves, got a lot of people shaking their heads (and phones) when attorneys general from across the U.S. dropped a 141-page legal bomb on them. Why? Because they allegedly made over 7.5 billion robocalls to people who were on the national Do Not Call Registry. It’s a major “oops” moment! 👀💥🤷
Raise your hand if you’ve ever been personally victimized by robocalls? 🙋♀️🙋♂️Turns out, your phone isn’t the only one buzzing off the hook with those unwanted calls. And guess what? There’s finally some action taking place.
The ‘Anti-Robocall Multistate Litigation Task Force’ (Phew! Say that three times fast), a team of 51 attorneys general and the District of Columbia, isn’t letting this slide. They’ve filed a lawsuit in U.S. District Court in Phoenix against Avid Telecom, its owner Michael D. Lansky and company vice president Stacey S. Reeves. They’re demanding a jury trial to determine damages for the 7.5 billion robocalls they allegedly made to people on the national Do Not Call Registry.👩⚖️🏛️
And we’re not just talking any robocalls. We’re talking robocalls that disguise themselves as coming from law enforcement agencies, government offices, and private companies. Is nothing sacred anymore?! 🚔🏢😠
Arizona was at the receiving end of nearly 197 million of these calls between December 2018 and January 2023, according to Attorney General Kris Mayes. But it’s not just the inconvenience that’s got people irked. Many of these calls were scams trying to frighten consumers, often senior citizens, into handing over their cash. Now that’s just cold!❄️💸👵
“Americans are sick and tired of their phones ringing off the hook with fraudulent robocalls,” said New York Attorney General Letitia James. Yeah, we feel you Letitia. 📱🤬
But before we get all pitchforks and torches, Avid Telecom’s outside legal counsel, Neil Ende, has something to say. “Contrary to the allegations in the complaint, Avid Telecom operates in a manner that is compliant with all applicable state and federal laws and regulations.” Hmm, okay, Neil. 🤔
Now, dear readers, the ball is in your court. Should companies be allowed to robocall, especially if they’re just ‘compliant with laws’? Is it high time we upped our game to deal with this digital annoyance once and for all?
And more importantly, if Avid Telecom did robocall 7.5 billion times, how many other companies are playing the same tune on your phone? Let’s dial up the discussion, shall we? 📞📢💭
