Great Lakes Wire

As National Consumer Protection Week unfolds, Michigan Attorney General Dana Nessel underscores her office's commitment to tackling illegal robocalls. The Federal Trade Commission's 2024 Do Not Call Data Book reveals that Michigan residents lodged 32,647 robocall complaints in the last fiscal year, a figure that mirrors 2023 numbers but reflects a downward trend from 2018 to 2022. This decline is attributed to Attorney General Nessel’s vigorous measures against robocalls, supported by collaborations with other states and federal entities.

Attorney General Nessel serves on the Executive Committee of the Anti-Robocall Multistate Litigation Task Force, spearheading efforts to curtail unsolicited automated calls targeting Michigan residents. Since launching her initiative in 2019, her department has logged over 14,000 robocall complaints.

“Few things are more annoying, intrusive, and unwelcome than robocalls,” stated Nessel. “While complaints have gone down, billions of these calls are still made each year, and too many Michiganders continue to fall victim to scams. I am proud to lead Michigan’s Robocall Crackdown Team and will keep working with our state and federal partners to protect residents and put an end to the flood of illegal robocalls targeting our communities.”

Scammers often use robocalls with intentions of extracting money or personal information from recipients. In December, Attorney General Nessel acted against four voice service providers and iDentidad Telecom for suspected illegal robocall traffic on their networks. She also collaborated with national task force members to warn a company accused of sending fraudulent election-related robocalls during New Hampshire's primary.

In a broader effort against potential misuse of AI by telemarketers, Attorney General Nessel joined 26 attorneys general in urging the Federal Communications Commission for stringent regulations in 2024.

In 2020, criminal charges were filed by Attorney General Nessel against political operatives Jack Burkman and Jacob Wohl for orchestrating voter suppression through robocalls during the presidential election. These charges included voter intimidation and conspiracy related offenses. Last year saw the Michigan Supreme Court uphold legislation prohibiting false speech aimed at influencing votes.

Attorney General Nessel advises vigilance against scams: avoid transactions via gift cards or cryptocurrency; be cautious of pre-recorded messages from imposters claiming government affiliation; hang up if fraud is suspected without divulging personal information.

Complaints about robocalls can be submitted online through the Department of Attorney General’s complaint form.