Feb 9, 2017

S. 134, Spoofing Prevention Act of 2017

Under current law, the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) has the authority to levy penalties and criminal fines against individuals who use fake information about a caller's identification to defraud or harm another. S. 134 would expand that authority to include the use of text messages and would apply the authority to violators outside of the United States if the recipient is within the United States. The bill also would direct the FCC to develop consumer education materials that provide information for consumers on identifying fraudulent caller activities. Finally, S. 134 would direct the Government Accountability Office (GAO) to conduct a study on actions taken by the FCC to combat the provision of inaccurate caller information and to identify additional steps that could be taken by the agency.