FCC cracks down on spam "auto warranty" robocalls

The Federal Communications Commission on Thursday told carriers to stop delivering those annoying auto warranty robocalls and said it has launched a formal investigation.

Why it matters: The scam has resulted in more than 8 billion unwanted and possibly illegal phone calls. It has been the top consumer robocall complaint for the past two years.

• "Auto warranty scams are one of the top complaints we get from consumers and it’s time to hold those responsible for making these junk calls," FCC Chairwoman Jessica Rosenworcel said in a statement.
• The FCC said it is working with a number of other agencies, including the Ohio attorney general, which is suing Roy Cox, Jr., Aaron Michael Jones, their Sumco Panama companies and other international associates said to be a part of the scam.
• The agency's enforcement bureau said it sent cease-and-desist letters to Call Pipe, Fugle Telecom, Geist Telecom, Global Lynks, Mobi Telecom, South Dakota Telecom, SipKonnect and Virtual Telecom to warn them to stop carrying this suspicious robocall traffic within 48 hours.
• The FCC said that its inquiry shows that the operation is still generating millions of apparently unlawful calls to consumers on a daily basis.

Go deeper: FCC to vote on new plan to curb robocalls