WASHINGTON (AP) — A powerful congressional committee is urging major telecommunications companies to do more to protect Americans against scams, part of a widening investigation into the role that U.S. companies play in the surge in cyberscams that cost Americans an estimated $200 billion in 2024.
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"Consumers need to be able to trust that the calls and texts they receive — from their doctor's office or their child's school, for example — are authentic. Scam communications, however, are increasingly difficult to distinguish from legitimate messages, and too much of the burden of detection is falling on customers," Rep. David Schweikert, R.-Ariz., the chairman of the Joint Economic Committee, and Sen. Maggie Hassan, D.-N.H., the committee's ranking member, wrote in a detailed request sent to AT&T, Verizon and T-Mobile on Wednesday evening.
The committee is seeking information about the companies' efforts to collect data, monitor for scams and cybercrime, and take action against bad actors.
The scrutiny comes amid growing concern in Washington about the explosion of scams targeting U.S. citizens. Congress has also been scrutinizing Elon Musk's Starlink satellite service, online dating sites, artificial intelligence companies, data brokers and a range of federal agencies about their roles in and response to cyberscams.
