Florida Attorney General proposes bill cracking down on scam calls
The bill would make fraudulent calls a federal crime with mandatory jail time
TALLAHASSEE, Fla. (WCTV) - Attorney General James Uthmeier is pushing a new law to crack down on spam calls, texts and AI scams targeting Floridians.
The Florida Anti-Spam Communications Act would let the Attorney General’s office go after spoofed numbers, fake warrants, undisclosed AI voices and the ‘phone farms’ that blast out thousands of scam calls.
It would require phone companies to authenticate caller ID, cut off known scam campaigns and honor your ‘stop’ text requests faster.
Florida Politics:
The bill would also heighten fraudulent calling to a felony with mandatory jail time.
“They’ve got technology where they can just hit a cell tower and spam an entire region. If that’s happening, it needs to be a heightened felony with mandatory jail time. You need to go to jail for four or five years if you’re engaging in this kind of sophisticated fraud,” Uthmeier said.
The plan also includes a statewide education push to help seniors spot fake messages and hang up before they lose money. As a reminder, a real court will not text people for a warrant.
People can report suspicious calls at 1-866-9-NO-SCAM or click here.
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