The commission is taking strong action against One Owl Telecom, an international gateway provider, for illegal robocalls and prerecorded messages falsely claiming to be related to fictitious purchase orders.
08/09/2023 1:45 P.M.
2.5 minute read
The Federal Communications Commission has taken decisive steps to address the issue of illegal robocalls carried out by One Owl Telecom, an international gateway provider, according to a press release from the commission (PDF).
The FCC’s Robocall Response Team has notified U.S. voice service providers that they can block and reject traffic from One Owl Telecom if it fails to stop the illegal robocall traffic identified by the commission.
One Owl Telecom has connections with companies like Illum Telecommunications and One Eye, both of which have faced FCC enforcement actions for illegal robocall activities. Despite changing its name and leadership, One Owl Telecom continues to engage in illegal robocalling.
The robocalls in question involve prerecorded messages falsely claiming to be related to fictitious purchase orders. These unsolicited calls deceive consumers by using false identities and tricking them into confirming orders they never made, according to the FCC.
FCC Chairwoman Jessica Rosenworcel emphasized the agency’s determination to eradicate such scams from networks, stating, “Unwanted robocalls are annoying and put consumers at risk. We are determined to use every tool we have to get these sorts of scams off our networks—including cutting them off at the source. These scam artists can try to duck and hide, but we’ll keep coming for them until we get this junk off the line.”
The FCC’s Enforcement Bureau issued a “K4 Notice” to inform U.S.-based voice service providers about the substantial volume of illegal robocalls originating from One Owl Telecom. Additionally, a cease-and-desist letter (PDF) has been sent to One Owl, demanding immediate action to halt the transmission of illegal robocalls. The letter requires the company to investigate, mitigate and prevent the recurrence of the identified illegal traffic. One Owl has a limited timeframe to report its mitigation steps and outline actions to prevent future misuse of its network.
“Companies such as One Owl attempt to mask their identities in an attempt to facilitate illegal robocalls,” said Loyaan Egal, the FCC’s enforcement bureau chief. “Our investigators and industry partners in the Traceback Consortium are not fooled by these tactics. We will remain vigilant in protecting consumers in the United States from being bombarded with scam communications originating from overseas.”
ACA International and joint industry trade association partners have advocated with the FCC to ensure important illegal robocall blocking measures do not impact calls from legitimate businesses consumers want and need, as documented in a letter (PDF) recapping a meeting with these groups and the FCC on its Advanced Methods to Target and Eliminate Unlawful Robocalls.
ACA’s Advocacy Team has also worked with the FCC on behalf of members to ensure it understands the industry’s need for communications with consumers to be protected while supporting mitigation against bad actors.
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