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WASHINGTON – Yesterday, Representatives Virginia Foxx (NC-05), Yvette D. Clarke (NY-09), Jeff Van Drew (NJ-02), Harley Rouda (CA-48), Gus Bilirakis (FL-12), and Tim Walberg (MI-07) introduced the Ending One-Ring Scams Act of 2019 (H.R. 3264). Often unaware it’s a robocall, consumers call back a missed call, which allows robocallers to collect fees from cell phone carriers. These fees then trickle down to consumers’ cell phone bills. This bipartisan legislation would empower the Department of Justice to stop robocallers from defrauding consumers through these malicious one-ring phone call scams.

“Almost everyone I know has experienced the extreme annoyance of one-ring scammers, and many have even dealt with fees and fraud from calling them back. As a longtime proponent of greater regulation over robocalls, I am proud to work with my bipartisan colleagues on the Ending One-Ring Scams Act to ensure that the FCC seeks an effective regulatory solution to curb one-ring scams,” Foxx stated.

YouMail estimates that there were nearly 48 billion robocalls in 2018, a 64 percent increase since 2016. First Orion predicts that this year 44.6 percent of all calls to mobile phones will be scam calls.  

Specifically, the Ending One-Ring Scams Act of 2019 would:

• Ensure the FCC initiates a proceeding to protect called consumers from one-ring scams;
• Ensure the FCC considers how it can work with Federal and State law enforcement agencies, governments of foreign countries, voice service providers, and entities that provide call-blocking services to address the issue;
• Require the FCC to publish a report on the status of its work to Congress no later than one year after passage; and
• Require the FCC to consult the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) on education for consumers to avoid one-ring scams and incentives for voice service providers to stop one-ring scam recordings from being made.

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U.S. Rep. Virginia Foxx represents North Carolina’s 5th Congressional District and is Republican Leader of the House Committee on Education and Labor.