If your phone has rung lately with a robotic voice claiming your Social Security number is suspended, you’re not alone. Florida Attorney General James Uthmeier has proposed the Florida Anti-Spam Communications Act, a bill that would make fraudulent calling a felony with mandatory jail time of four to five years. The proposal targets spoofed numbers, fake warrant scams, undisclosed AI voices and the “phone farms” that blast thousands of calls by hitting a single cell tower.
The bill doesn’t just go after scammers. It also puts new requirements on phone companies, which would have to authenticate caller ID, cut off known scam campaigns and honor “stop” text requests faster. A statewide education effort would help seniors spot fake messages, a big deal here on the Suncoast where so many retirees call this area home.
If you get a suspicious call or text, you can report it at 1-866-9-NO-SCAM. Have you or someone you know been targeted by a scam call? Tell us your story in the comments.
