Consumers will have better protections from unwanted robocalls after the Telephone Robocall Abuse Criminal Enforcement and Deterrence (TRACED) Act was signed into law by the President at the end of last year. At no extra charge to the consumer, the legislation requires phone companies to implement a caller ID authentication system to help stop “spoofed” calls—where scammers mask their identity by changing the number displayed on caller ID. The authentication system will use digital fingerprints to help determine whether the number that shows up on caller ID is the actual number being used. TRACED also increases penalties for robocallers who intentionally flout the law. The final law omits some protections included in the House bill, such as a provision to help clarify the consumer consent requirement. “We will continue to work with Congress and the Federal Communications Commission to get consumers all the protections they need,” says Maureen Mahoney, policy analyst at CR. “Still, we are very glad Congress is taking these steps, and we look forward to helping see that these new protections are fully implemented.”
Thanks to all of you who supported CR in this effort. About 1 million CR members called, signed petitions, emailed or visited their representatives to get this federal legislation passed.
–from Consumer Reports
