After developing and launching Ohio’s Robocall Enforcement Unit in March 2020, Attorney General Dave Yost has continued to take action to shut down illegal robocallers and help make Ohio the toughest state for them to operate.
In June 2020, Attorney General Yost joined six other states in filing suit against a pair of Texas businesses accused of blasting billions of illegal robocalls, including over 59 million calls to Ohioans.
The
federal lawsuit alleges that Rising Eagle Capital Group LLC and JSquared Telecom LLC are behind a bombardment of robocalls offering extended car warranties and health care services.
More than 70 complaints reported to the Robocall Enforcement Unit were tied to Rising Eagle and JSquared. John Spiller II, owner of the businesses, and his business partner, Jakob Mears, are also named in the lawsuit.
In a separate matter, Ohio Attorney General Dave Yost announced that a Texas business agreed to a permanent ban on payment processing to settle allegations that it helped scammers defraud millions of dollars from Americans.
The settlement with Madera Merchant Services LLC and its operators, Bruce Woods, Patricia Woods and Victor Rodriguez, is the result of a
joint complaint filed in federal court by Yost’s office and the Federal Trade Commission in 2019.
The complaint alleged that Madera Merchant Services, also known as B&P Enterprises, operated as a third-party payment processor, charging consumer checking accounts on behalf of unscrupulous telemarketers.
One of those telemarketers, Educare Centre Services, was allegedly behind a flood of robocalls that misled victims with false promises of consolidated credit services. Madera processed more than $11.8 million in transactions for Educare, which remains the subject of a separate lawsuit.
Since its inception in March of this year, the Robocall Enforcement Unit has received over 20,000 reports of unwanted calls. Robocalls involving auto service warranties are the most frequently reported type of complaint as of August.
Signs of an illegal robocall include:
- The call appears to be coming from your area code but has no relation to the area.
- The call urges you to act quickly.
- The call requests that you press a number to speak with a representative or unsubscribe.
- The caller requests payment via wire, prepaid money card or gift card.
Remember, the best advice to help you combat robocalls is: Just Don’t Answer!
Ohioans can report unwanted robocalls to the Robocall Enforcement Unit by texting “ROBO” to 888111, visiting
OhioProtects.org or calling 800-282-0515.