“The growing frequency of robocalls “are especially burdensome to senior citizens,” wrote Sen. Michelle Brooks, R-Mercer County, the bill’s author, in a sponsorship memo.
“When the phone numbers are spoofed to appear to be from the local area, a senior citizen may believe the call to be from a family member or a neighbor contacting them about an emergency, especially when these calls are made later in the evening,” Brooks continued. “Instead, the individual is met with a computerized telemarketing message.”
As always, the new rules are most likely to be followed by legitimate telemarketers — but less so by scammers who are already intent on breaking the law. But the measure does give law enforcement an additional way to go after illicit callers.
“Caller ID spoofing and robocalls are not just an annoyance — they are tools criminals use to steal from seniors and other vulnerable Pennsylvanians,” Attorney General Dave Sunday wrote in a recent bill analysis. “This legislation gives us another important tool to crack down on these scams and better protect consumers across the commonwealth.”