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The Federal Communications Commission has fined two telemarketers from Texas for making over 1 billion robocalls in less than five months.
The $225 million fine is the largest fine the FCC has given to date, according to WISN. The robocalls reportedly happened in 2019.
"John C. Spiller and Jakob A. Mears, who used business names including Rising Eagle and JSquared Telecom, transmitted the spoofed robocalls across the country during the first four-and-a-half months of 2019. Mr. Spiller admitted to the USTelecom Industry Traceback Group that he made millions of spoofed calls per day and knowingly called consumers on the Do Not Call list as he believed that it was more profitable to target these consumers." the FCC said in a statement to WISN.
The calls falsely claimed to sell insurance plans from companies including Aetna, Blue Cross Blue Shield and Cigna.
On Wednesday (March 16), the FCC announced the launch of a "Robocall Response Team" that would find new ways to block spam calls to individuals' cell phones.