WASHINGTON – Senators Chuck Schumer and Kirsten Gillibrand have announced legislation to bring an end to unsolicited robocalls nationwide.
Known as the “DO NOT Call Act,” the legislation would increase penalties for automated and illegal phone calls.
Schumer says Americans are desperate to ‘hang up the phone’ and the DO NOT Call Act is the antidote needed to cut the cord on ‘spoofing’ scams that target especially elderly New Yorkers.
Whether it’s the landline or cell, Schumer explains no one should be scared to pick up the phone.
According to YouMail, nearly 4.5 billion robocalls targeted Americans in April 2021. Of those calls, over 200 million took place in New York State, making it the fifth most-called state in the nation.
The Office of the New York Attorney General says consumers lose approximately $40 billion a year through telemarketing fraud.
If passed, the “DO NOT Call Act” would allow prison terms of up to one year for willfully and knowingly violating calling laws, allow prison terms of up to three years for aggravated violations, and double the maximum penalties for falsifying caller ID, from $10,000 to $20,000.
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