The Federal Communications Commission (FCC or Commission) has proposed a $120 million fine against Adrian Abramovich for perpetrating one of the largest spoofed robocall campaigns that the Commission has ever investigated. During a three-month period in 2016, Abramovich allegedly made 96 million spoofed robocalls in violation of the Truth in Caller ID Act, which prohibits callers from deliberately falsifying caller ID information with the intent to harm or defraud consumers. The proposed fine is based on 80,000 spoofed calls that the Commission has verified.
Abramovich’s operation apparently made the spoofed calls in order to trick unsuspecting consumers into answering and listening to his advertising messages. The calls, which appeared to come from local numbers, contained an automated message prompting listeners to “Press 1” to hear about “exclusive” vacation deals from well-known travel and hospitality companies such as Marriott, Expedia, Hilton, and TripAdvisor. Listeners who did press the button were then transferred to foreign call centers, unaffiliated with the companies mentioned in the recorded message, where live operators attempted to sell vacation packages often involving timeshares. The FCC’s Enforcement Bureau also issued a citation to Abramovich for apparent violations of the Telephone Consumer Protection Act’s robocall limits and the federal wire fraud statute.
