Washington, D.C. - Today, Rep. Raja Krishnamoorthi, the Chairman of the Subcommittee on Economic and Consumer Policy, sent a letter to Federal Communications Commission (FCC) Acting Chairwoman Jessica Rosenworcel requesting information on the Commission’s ongoing efforts to address the rise in spam text messages.
Chairman Krishnamoorthi emphasized the alarming recent increase in spam texts, many of which are designed to appear as if they are sent by government agencies. In March 2021, 7.4 billion spam texts were sent to Americans.
“Last year scammers stole at least $86 million through fraud originating in spam texts," wrote Chairman Krishnamoorthi. “We want to be able to inform our constituents about the important work that FCC is doing to protect them from spam texts, and we want to be able to give them the best advice on how to protect themselves from scams."
As of June 2021, the FCC requires that phone providers implement “STIR/SHAKEN" technology, which verifies the source of calls. Chairman Krishnamoorthi noted that while this technology is reducing the effectiveness of robocalls, bad actors will likely shift their attention to other means of scamming consumers, especially spam texts.
Chairman Krishnamoorthi requested the FCC contact the Subcommittee staff by Aug. 27, 2021, to set up a staff briefing on this issue.
