The North Carolina Attorney General’s office is suing a firm it accuses of unlawful robocalling. (Photo: Scott Olson/Getty Images)
North Carolina Attorney General Josh Stein announced Friday a series of legal actions to combat unlawful robocalls plaguing the state’s residents.
Speaking at a press conference, Stein said his office is suing Club Exploria, LLC, a timeshare company also known as Exploria Resorts, for allegedly spamming over 1 million North Carolinians with robocalls trying to sell timeshares and vacation rentals.
Stein said Club Exploria allegedly violated North Carolina law that requires companies to obtain consent from customers before robocalling them. The North Carolina Department of Justice has received almost a dozen complaints about the company’s business practices. “It’s unacceptable,” Stein said.
“We’re taking them to court and asking the court to stop them from making robocalls in the future.”
In addition to the lawsuit, Stein said his office has also issued two civil investigative demands to other companies over concerns they may have also engaged in making illegal robocalls and robotexts.
The attorney general is also seeking a court ruling against the firm Articul8 in his office’s 2022 lawsuit against the phone company for violating telemarketing laws and routing more than 65 million calls to North Carolina residents. Millions of calls routed by Articul8 were from imposters pretending to be from the Social Security Administration, the FBI, and state and local police departments. The lawsuit forced the owner and operator of the company to exit the robocall business. Sten’s office is now asking the court to dissolve Articul8 and end the lawsuit.
“Articul8 and its owner looked the other way and allowed illegal robocalls onto our network where they confused and scared North Carolinians,” said Stein. “I’m pleased that we have put the owner out of business, and I’m asking the court to help us finish this case by shutting down Articul8.”
Attorney Rochelle Sparko (Photo: Center for Responsible Lending)
Stein was joined at the press conference by Captain Eric Carpenter of the Durham County Sheriff’s Office, who shared examples of local residents falling victim to robocall scams, and Rochelle Sparko from the Center for Responsible Lending, who discussed the devastating financial impact these scams can have on vulnerable populations.
“Financial scams can badly harm a family starting out as they seek affordable housing and childcare and try to pay down student debt,” Sparko said. “Likewise, these scams harm and devastate older adults living on a fixed income with little or no opportunity to earn back the hundreds or even 1000s of dollars lost.”
Stein offered a few tips to protect oneself from robocall scams:
Beware of anyone who asks you to send money or gift cards or any form of payment, no matter the reason.
Do not share personal information about yourself or family with unknown callers.
Never feel pressured into giving your money or your data away.
“If you get a call or message from a loved one or friend asking for help, hang up and contact the person directly using the number that you know for that person,” Stein said.
Residents can report suspected scams to the attorney general’s office by calling the toll-free number 877-5-NO-SCAM or by visiting the website NC DOJ.gov/complaint.
Hurricane price gouging
In addition to the robocall crackdown, Stein provided an update on price gouging complaints stemming from Hurricane Helene in western North Carolina. The attorney general’s office has received around 350 price gouging complaints, primarily involving groceries, water, food, and hotel rentals.
Stein said the largest share of complaints has come from the more populous western counties, such as Buncombe. “The vast majority of companies out there are doing incredible by their neighbors,” Stein said. “But there are always going to be some people out there who see this as a moment where they can exploit people’s desperation.”