The Attorney General’s Office takes pride in protecting Ohio consumers by going to bat for them, arming them with the information they need to protect themselves and hammering criminals and predatory telemarketers — and their unending robocalls and scams.
After Ohioans were bombarded with an estimated 2.2 billion robocalls in 2019, Attorney General Yost took action to go after every link in the robocall chain. Among other efforts, Yost has:
- Established a special Robocall Enforcement Unit to investigate violators, take aggressive enforcement action and push legislation to expand the state’s authority over robocalls.
- Created a website to report robocallers.
- Sued groups that made illegal calls hoping to steal money or valuable information from Ohioans, and companies that supported such groups. Settlements have been agreed to by a Voice over Internet Protocol (VoIP) service provider and a payment processor that billed consumers at robocallers’ behest.
What is a robocall?
Robocalls are auto-dialed calls that deliver a prerecorded message. Legal robocalls may include, say, calls from your doctor’s office reminding you of an appointment, from your child’s school regarding weather-related information, and so on. Illegal robocalls are calls that you have not consented to that generally try to persuade you to pay for something or to disclose personal information.
Why does the call look like it’s coming from my area?
This is known as spoofing. Scammers use spoofing to entice you into answering. Scammers may use your area code and exchange, or they may use a number to make who they are pretending to be seem more legitimate.
How can I report illegal robocalls?
You can click here to report illegal robocalls or call 1-800-282-0515.