Attorney General Kwame Raoul joined a bipartisan coalition of 50 attorneys general in supporting the Federal Communications Commission’s (FCC) effort to reduce robocallers’ access to legitimate phone numbers to use to make illegal robocalls. “I am committed to protecting the rights of Illinois consumers, and that includes defending against illegal robocalls,” Raoul said. “Robocalls cost consumers time and money, as well as violate their privacy. We have made some progress in our work to stop robocallers and combat spoofing, and I support the FCC in its effort to further protect consumers and reduce robocallers’ access to legitimate phone numbers.” Earlier this year, phone companies were required to implement STIR/SHAKEN caller ID authentication technology to combat spoofing by ensuring that telephone calls originate from verified numbers. Because the technology prevents robocallers from spoofing phone numbers, scam robocalls have dropped by 29 percent since June, as the phone industry continues to put STIR/SHAKEN into effect. Robocallers are now successfully evading caller ID authentication by purchasing access to legitimate phone numbers to conceal their identities. They typically do this by providing false identifying information to, or otherwise shielding their identities from, the companies that have access to legitimate numbers.