Robocall
The company sent calls ‘informing’ households of a fake tax relief program.
Photo by Freerange Stock
WASHINGTON, April 9, 2024 — The Federal Communications Commission issued a cease and desist order on Thursday to an entity making illegal robocalls across the country.
The commission said that the company had made 15.8 million robocalls informing households of a non-existent “National Tax Relief Program.”
The commission issued a letter to Felix Hernandez of Veriwave Telco, LLC, demanding that they stop sending illegal robocalls. The FCC notified the company that if they did not change course, the commission would resort to more drastic measures.
“Failure to comply with the steps outlined in this letter may result in downstream providers permanently blocking all of Veriwave’s traffic,” the commission wrote.
The FCC accused the company of trying to take advantage of the mental duress that households endured during tax filing season.
“This robocalling campaign increased in volume in the three months immediately preceding the 2024 filing season start date. This start date, and the lead up to it, may be particularly stressful for tax filers with arrears from prior years as their 2023 tax refund could be subject to withholding by the Internal Revenue Service. This robocall campaign apparently preyed upon these filers,” the commission wrote.
