Texas Border Business
AUSTIN – Attorney General Ken Paxton today announced that he joined six other attorneys general in a federal lawsuit against John C. Spiller, II and Jakob Mears, along with their Texas-based companies Rising Eagle Capital Group LLC and JSquared Telecom LLC. In coordination with the Federal Communications Commission (FCC), the coalition of states seeks to put an end to unlawful telemarketing campaigns that bombard consumers with millions of abusive robocalls in violation of the federal Telephone Consumer Protection Act, as well as each state’s respective telemarketing laws.
“I thank the FCC and attorneys general involved with this enforcement initiative for their dedication to stopping deceptive and abusive robocallers from targeting our citizens. Robocalls, especially those that spoof Caller ID information and violate specific do-not-call lists, are a blatant invasion of privacy,” said Attorney General Paxton. “My office will continue to work diligently to stop those who disregard privacy and seek to take advantage of Texans.”
Over the past two years, Spiller and Mears have initiated billions of abusive robocalls through the two companies named in the lawsuit. The calls, made to both residential and cellular phone lines, immediately confront consumers with pre-recorded messages pitching healthcare products or automobile extended warranties. Millions of calls reached consumers who have placed their phone numbers on their state and/or national do-not-call registries. Spiller and Mears are also accused of trying to hide their identity and falsifying – or spoofing – caller ID information to make recipients believe the calls are coming from someone they may know.
Texans who believe they have encountered deceptive trade practices, scams or illegal telemarketing practices should call the Office of the Attorney General’s toll-free complaint line at (800) 621-0508 or file a complaint online.
The states joining Texas in this lawsuit are Arkansas, Indiana, Michigan, Missouri, North Carolina, and Ohio.
Read a copy of the filing here.
