Florida attorney general proposes new bill targeting spam calls and texts

On Friday, Attorney General James Uthmeier proposed legislation that would give the Attorney General independent authority to shut down spam calls and texts and give prosecutors new tools against various scam campaigns. This proposed legislation, called the Florida Anti-Spam Communications Act, would do several things according to Uthmeier: Crack down on phone and text fraud by defining the processes of impersonation, spoofing a number, using an undisclosed AI voice to obtain money, serving a fake warrant, etc. as communications fraud Cut off unlawful traffic by requiring communications providers to authenticate caller ID, answer traceback requests and cut off a named unlawful campaign after written notice Strengthen the state's telemarketing consent law and require STOP requests to be honored within days instead of weeks Give the Attorney General independent authority to investigate spam calls and texts Educate seniors by letting the Department of Legal Affairs to run a statewide campaign on how to spot a spam call “Floridians should not have to fear every unknown call or text,” said Attorney General James Uthmeier. “What we are talking about is fraud—pure and simple. It just arrives as a phone call, a text, a fake warrant, or an AI voice. This proposal lets our office investigate and act independently, and it gives prosecutors the tools to put the worst offenders in prison.” DOWNLOAD the free Gulf Coast News app for your latest news and alerts on breaking news, weather, sports, entertainment, and more on your phone or tablet. And check out the Very Local Gulf Coast app to stream news, entertainment and original programming on your TV