The Federal Communications Commission on Aug. 3 announced it had levied a record $300 million fine against vehicle service contract telemarketers running "the largest illegal robocall operation the agency has ever investigated."
The illegal service contract marketing scheme dated to at least 2018 and included more than 5 billion automated calls to more than 500 million phone numbers in just three months in 2021, the FCC said. The group's communications with customers included a prerecorded message beginning, "'We've been trying to reach you concerning your car's extended warranty,'" the FCC said.
The group's alleged violations included breaking federal "spoofing" laws by using more than 1 million caller ID numbers to fool consumers into answering their phones, calling Do Not Call numbers, making telemarketing calls without consumer consent and failing to offer an opt-out number.
The FCC last year directed and authorized phone servic…