Cleveland.com | Jeremy Pelzer
Saying he wants Ohio to be known as the most aggressive state in the nation against illegal robocalls, Attorney General Dave Yost on Wednesday unveiled an initiative to identify the pesky callers and file lawsuits against both them and companies that assist them.
Yost, a Columbus Republican, announced he has created a new Robocall Enforcement Unit within his office, made up of two attorneys and an investigator, dedicated to investigating suspected illegal robocallers and taking legal action to shut them down, often in partnership with national anti-robocall groups and officials in other states and countries.
The attorney general’s office has also set up a system for people to report robocalls they receive to his office via OhioProtects.org, texting “ROBO” to 888111, or calling 1-800-282-0515. Yost encouraged the public to report illegal robocalls, so his office can identify robocall trends and bad actors.
“Our goal is to make it so hard for robocallers to operate in Ohio that they don’t even bother trying,” Yost said at a news conference.