FCC continues its robocall fight with fines, warnings and a new response team By Kelly Hill on
The Federal Communications Commission this week levied its largest-ever fine against a robocalling operation: $225 million, against two companies which the agency says transmitted around 1 billion robocalls shilling short-term health insurance.
The FCC said that many of the calls made in the first half of 2019 by John C. Spiller and Jakob A. Mears (who used business names including Rising Eagle and JSquared Telecom) were illegally spoofed, and that the companies lied to consumers, falsely claiming to offer health insurance plans from companies such as Blue Cross Blue Shield and Cigna. In at least one case, the agency added, the spoofing led to an unassociated company being overwhelmed with call-backs from angry customers.
“Mr. Spiller admitted to the USTelecom Industry Traceback Group that he made millions of spoofed calls per day and knowingly called consumers on the Do Not Call list as he believed that it was more profitable to target these consumers. Rising Eagle made the calls on behalf of clients, the largest of which, Health Advisors of America, was sued by the Missouri Attorney General for telemarketing violations in February 2019,” the FCC added.
“The individuals involved didn’t just lie about who they were when they made their calls—they said they were calling on behalf of well-known health insurance companies on more than a billion calls. That’s fraud on an enormous scale,” said Acting Chairwoman Jessica Rosenworcel.
These people don't just need a fine. They need their entire corporation to be shut down with all the assets confiscated and all the responsible individuals sentenced to years in prison.
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