Attorney General Keith Ellison has issued a warning to iDentidad Advertising Development LLC, also known as iDentidad Telecom, regarding the transmission of suspected illegal robocall traffic. This action is part of his involvement with the bipartisan Anti-Robocall Multistate Litigation Task Force.
“Nobody likes robocalls,” stated Attorney General Ellison. “Not only are they extremely annoying, but they are often a tool used by scammers to con honest, hardworking people. Today, I am taking action to halt abusive, deceitful, and unlawful robocalls. I hope this letter serves as a warning to bad actors that my Office is ready to move against anyone breaking our laws, rules, and regulations around robocalls. Anyone who does not get that should expect to hear from my Office, and they’ll get a lot more than a pre-recorded message when they do.”
The task force consists of 51 bipartisan attorneys general who investigate and take legal action against entities responsible for routing illegal robocall traffic into and across the United States. According to the task force, iDentidad received nearly 200 traceback notices for calls routed to the U.S. telephone network primarily from outside the country. These calls were identified as illegal or part of suspicious campaigns involving IRS/Social Security Administration imposters, utility scams, and financial scams. Notably, some spoofed calls impersonated the Illinois Attorney General’s Office.
Should iDentidad fail to cease routing suspicious or illegal robocall traffic, legal actions may be pursued by the attorneys general involved in the task force. Such actions could include seeking damages, civil penalties, and injunctions. The Federal Communications Commission has also issued a cease-and-desist order to iDentidad.
This development follows Attorney General Ellison's previous efforts against illegal robocalls. On May 23, 2023, he filed a lawsuit against Avid Telecom for allegedly initiating billions of illegal robocalls in violation of federal telemarketing laws.
Minnesota residents can report complaints about robocalls through an online form provided by the Attorney General’s Office or by contacting them via phone at (651) 296-3353 for Metro area residents or (800) 657-3787 for those in Greater Minnesota.