Iowa Attorney General Brenna Bird has joined forces with 48 other states in a lawsuit against Avid Telecom, its owner, and its chief officers for their role in facilitating billions of illegal robocalls to millions of Americans. Avid Telecom has been involved in making hundreds of millions of calls using fake or invalid caller ID numbers, including over 8.4 million calls impersonating government agencies, law enforcement, and private companies. They have also transmitted more than 7.5 billion calls in violation of the National Do Not Call Registry. Since 2019, approximately 9,000 fraudulent calls have specifically targeted Iowa residents. According to the pending lawsuit, Avid Telecom attempted over 24.5 billion scam robocalls from December 2018 to January 2023. Bird says, “We’re taking action to shield Iowans from fraudulent and illegal robocalls. This company has helped connect scammers directly with thousands of Iowans over the phone, but we’re pushing back. Thanks to this bipartisan coalition of attorneys general, we are putting the full force of 49 states behind our lawsuit to hold illegal robocalling businesses accountable and protect Americans from scams.” The 49-state coalition is suing Avid Telecom for violations of the Telemarketing Sales Rule (TSR), the Telephone Consumer Protection Act (TCPA), and other state and federal laws.
