Idaho Attorney General Raúl Labrador has joined a nearly nationwide coalition of state and territorial attorneys general calling on federal regulators to close loopholes that allow scammers to weaponize legitimate phone numbers for robocalls and fraudulent text messages.

The coalition — spanning 48 states and territories — filed a formal request with the Federal Communications Commission asking the agency to impose stricter controls on the companies that buy and resell phone numbers. The action comes as Americans collectively received an estimated 29.6 billion scam robocalls and texts last year, resulting in roughly $2 billion in losses to related fraud.

The Problem: Legitimate Numbers, Fraudulent Use

At the heart of the coalition’s complaint is a practice in which scammers purchase real, valid phone numbers through telecom resellers and then use those numbers to place robocalls or send mass fraudulent texts. Because the numbers appear legitimate, they are harder for consumers and carriers to filter or flag.

The attorneys general argue that FCC rules have not kept pace with how these schemes operate, leaving an open pathway for bad actors to exploit the telecommunications infrastructure.

What the Coalition Is Asking For

The multistate group has outlined several specific regulatory changes it wants the FCC to adopt. The coalition is asking the agency to require that companies involved in buying and reselling phone numbers verify the identity and legitimacy of their customers before completing a sale.

The coalition is also requesting that those companies maintain detailed records of how phone numbers are assigned and make those records accessible to law enforcement when tracing illegal calls. Additionally, the proposal calls for rules that would stop scammers from rapidly cycling through large blocks of phone numbers — a tactic used to evade detection — and would bar anyone without a genuine calling or texting service from obtaining numbers in the first place.

Labrador’s Position

Labrador framed the effort as a matter of protecting Idaho families from an ongoing and costly problem. “Idahoans are tired of scammers swindling their families and flooding their phones with non-stop robocalls,” he said.

The attorney general emphasized that addressing the issue requires intervention at the industry level, not just consumer education. “We need to hold telecom providers accountable at the source by cutting off the illegal traffic before scammers can target Idaho families,” Labrador said.

Bipartisan Roots

The coalition’s push builds on earlier work by the bipartisan Anti-Robocall Multistate Litigation Task Force, which issued recommendations in 2021 on how federal regulators and state authorities could better coordinate to combat illegal robocall operations. The current FCC request reflects those earlier recommendations and signals continued pressure from states across the political spectrum.

The breadth of the coalition — nearly every state and territory participating — underscores that robocall fraud is broadly viewed as a law enforcement and consumer protection priority regardless of party affiliation.

What Comes Next

The letter now sits with the FCC, which has the authority to adopt the proposed rules through its standard rulemaking process. The commission would need to issue a notice of proposed rulemaking, accept public comment, and finalize any changes — a process that typically unfolds over months.

It remains to be seen whether the FCC moves quickly on the coalition’s specific requests or incorporates them into a broader regulatory review. State attorneys general, however, retain independent authority to pursue litigation against robocall operations under existing law, and Labrador’s office could pursue enforcement actions separately from any federal rulemaking outcome.

The robocall coalition effort is one of several consumer-focused initiatives coming from Labrador’s office this year, as the attorney general has sought to establish a visible presence on issues that cut across party lines and affect everyday Idahoans directly.