A U.S. federal court has recently imposed a significant penalty of $9,918,000 and issued an injunction against an individual named Scott Rhodes for perpetrating thousands of “spoofed” robocalls across the United States. These illegal actions involved targeting specific regions with inflammatory and disturbing messages, prompting strict penalties and an injunction to prevent future violations. The U.S. Department of Justice described Rhodes’ actions as “illegal and malicious,” highlighting the targeting of specific localities during sensitive periods, including the aftermath of a local woman’s murder in Brooklyn, Iowa, and the “Unite the Right” rally in Charlottesville, Virginia, thereby exacerbating the severity of the illegal robocall campaigns.
Following reports of harassment to the Federal Communications Commission (FCC), authorities traced the illegal robocall activity to Rhodes, a resident of Idaho and Montana, leading to legal action initiated by the U.S. Department of Justice in September 2021. Rhodes was subsequently fined with a $9.9 million penalty and faced an injunction against violations of the Truth in Caller ID Act and Telephone Consumer Protection Act. This robust response underscores the U.S. authorities’ commitment to combating illegal robocall activities and protecting citizens from the growing nuisance and nefarious impact of malicious robocall campaigns.
