Washington lawmakers to target robocalls, spam in 2023 legislative session

An effort is brewing in Olympia to tighten protections against robocalls, and further impose punishment for violations.

Washington Attorney General Bob Ferguson is teaming up with state Rep. Mari Leavitt of University Place to tackle nuisance robocalls, many of which can be scams. The pair are putting HB 1051 up for consideration in the 2023 legislative session.

Washington already has a law regarding robocalls, but Ferguson says it is weak and outdated. Ferguson’s office says Washingtonians received 616 million robocalls last year; nearly half of them were scams. And those scams, the attorney general says, ended up bilking some 835,000 people in the state.

“Our seniors, youth and most financially fragile neighbors are experiencing more and more scams in the form of robocalls and other electronic messages to cell phones,” Rep. Leavitt said in a statement. “These schemes aim to trick many of our neighbors, friends and loved ones. Our uncles, aunts, parents and grandparents are often anticipating calls to schedule needed care like medical appointments. But this also presents a prime opportunity for bad actors to prey on our senior citizens. Last year alone, these scam calls cost Americans billions. Addressing the gap in protections to root out these scams is the least we can do to protect our fellow Washingtonians.”

The proposal Ferguson is taking to the state Legislature next month would make it illegal to robocall someone who is listed on the Do Not Call Registry. He also aims to outlaw deliberately falsifying caller ID information to fool the recipient, as well as opening the possibility of civil action against voice service providers that knowingly facilitate illegal robocalls.

Ferguson says he wants the Legislature to give him the tools necessary to reduce what he calls the “daily bombardment” of spam calls, and for his office to pursue those who break the law.

Ferguson also says his focus is on illegal and spam robocalls, not routine calls to subscribers or business customers who consent to receiving automated messages.

Find Brandon Hollingsworth's full story at Spokane Public Radio.

KUOW's Dyer Oxley contributed to this report.