Additionally, the FCC noted data from other sources including RoboKiller reaffirming evidence of the growing problem. RoboKiller reported that in March 2021, 7.4 billion spam text messages were sent to consumers.
In a statement, Acting Chairwoman Rosenworcel said, “In a world where so many of us rely heavily on texting to stay connected with our friends and family, ensuring the integrity of this communication is vitally important.”
“We’ve seen a rise in scammers trying to take advantage of our trust of text messages by sending bogus robotexts that try to trick consumers to share sensitive
information or click on malicious links. It’s time we take steps to confront this latest wave of fraud and identify how mobile carriers can block these automated messages before they have the opportunity to cause any harm,” she added.
The FCC would explore steps to protect consumers from illegal robotexts if the full Commission votes to adopt the proposals of Acting Chairwoman Rosenworcel. Some of these steps may include network-level blocking and requiring caller authentication standards to text messaging.
