ALBUQUERQUE, NM – If you have a personal cellphone, you’ve probably experienced that phone call that’s either labeled “scam likely,” or the robot on the other side when you pick up the phone.
Scam calls and “robocalls” are currently a major issue plaguing Americans all over the country. Right now, a bipartisan coalition of 50 attorneys general are pushing to change that.
New Mexico Attorney General Raúl Torrez is one of the people working to drive the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) to reinforce “Know Your Customer” (KYC) rules and standards to help prevent these scam calls.
KYC rules are intended to be a set of standards that require phone companies to know who is using their networks, including knowing what kind of business these customers might be conducting. This way, phone companies have the ability to restrict or terminate customers who could be conducting illegal activities or acting as illegitimate companies.
Last year, Americans received over 29.6 billion scam calls and people lost over $2 billion due to said scammers. NM Attorney General Raúl Torrez said that robocalls are “more than just an annoyance, they are one of the most common tools criminals use to steal from hardworking families, target seniors, and undermine trust in our communications systems.”
Attorney General Torrez explained that by reinforcing and strengthening Know Your Customer requirements, scammers will have more difficulty hiding behind phone networks. It will also be easier for those network providers to stop those illegal calls before they reach people.
“We are urging the FCC to adopt stronger safeguards that hold bad actors accountable and better protect consumers from increasingly sophisticated scams,” Attorney General Torrez said.
While there are of course KYC rules in place now, the concern of the attorneys general coalition is that they are not enough. Illegal robocalls are still able to get through and cause harm, and this is due to the originating service provider allowing these scammers to use their network. This is why addressing Know Your Customer rules for the originating service providers will make the most difference in addressing illegal phone activity.
The attorneys general coalition is urging the Federal Communications Commission to add to KYC rules, to include requirements such as:
- Requiring providers to understand customers’ business; rather than just verifying customers’ identity and existence, also further examining the customers’ business practices, intended use of services, and their compliance with state and federal laws.
- Holding all originating networks to the same KYC regulations, including small service providers, who can often be the perpetrators of illegal phone activity and scamming.
- Requiring originating providers to collect more information on “high-risk customers”: KYC requirements are universal, but the attorneys general are pushing for additional, long-term monitoring of customers who are more likely to participate in illegal phone calls and scamming.
“My office will continue to put pressure on these entities to reduce the frequency of these calls and prevent New Mexicans from being subjected to the harm these robocallers cause,” said Attorney General Torrez.
On Monday, July 27, the attorneys general coalition sent reply comments to the FCC, pushing for the commission to impose more rigorous enforcement of illegal robocalls. This was a part of Phase Two of “Operation Robocall Roundup,” an effort by the Anti-Robocall Litigation Task Force, which Attorney General Torrez has been actively participating in.
Phase One of Operation Robocall Roundup launched in August 2025, when the Task Force sent warning letters to 37 voice providers who were allowing suspected illegal scam calls onto the U.S. telephone network.
New Mexico Attorney General Torrez is accompanied in this coalition by the attorneys general of Alabama, Alaska, American Samoa, Arizona, Arkansas, California, Colorado, Connecticut, Delaware, District of Columbia , Georgia, Hawaii, Idaho, Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Kansas, Kentucky, Louisiana, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, Michigan, Minnesota, Mississippi, Missouri, Nebraska, Nevada, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New York, North Carolina, North Dakota, Ohio, Oklahoma, Oregon, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, South Carolina, South Dakota, Tennessee, U.S. Virgin Islands, Utah, Vermont, Virginia, Washington, West Virginia, Wisconsin, and Wyoming.
Olivia Woodard is a journalist for Brant One News. She can be reached at [email protected] or on Instagram at @brantonenews.
