A congressional committee is seeking answers from some of the largest telecommunications providers in the United States as financial losses linked to scams continue to rise across the country.
The inquiry comes from the Joint Economic Committee, whose leadership has asked major wireless carriers AT&T, Verizon, and T-Mobile to provide details about the measures they use to detect, monitor, and disrupt fraudulent activity occurring across their networks.
In a letter sent to the companies, committee chairman David Schweikert and ranking member Maggie Hassan said consumers should be able to trust the phone calls and text messages they receive from legitimate sources such as schools, healthcare providers, and other essential services. However, they noted that scam messages have become increasingly convincing, making it harder for people to distinguish fraudulent communications from authentic ones. The lawmakers argued that too much responsibility currently falls on consumers to identify suspicious activity on their own.
As part of the request, the committee is seeking information about how telecom providers gather intelligence on scams, monitor cybercrime-related activity, and respond to malicious actors who abuse communication networks to target the public.
The congressional review reflects broader concern in Washington over the rapid growth of cyber-enabled fraud. Scam operations have become a significant economic issue in recent years, with estimates indicating that Americans lost roughly $200 billion to various forms of fraud and cybercrime during 2024. Criminal groups increasingly use text messages, phone calls, social engineering techniques, and online platforms to reach potential victims at scale.
Telecommunications companies are not the only organizations facing scrutiny. Lawmakers have also examined the role played by satellite internet providers, online dating services, artificial intelligence firms, data brokerage companies, and federal agencies in either facilitating, detecting, or responding to cyber-enabled scams.
Efforts to address fraudulent communications are not new. In 2019, Congress passed the TRACED Act, legislation designed to curb robocalls and caller ID spoofing. The law, together with actions by the Federal Communications Commission, required major carriers to implement caller authentication technologies intended to help verify the origin of calls and improve investigators' ability to identify criminal operators.
Despite those measures, scam campaigns continue to reach consumers in large numbers. Security experts have repeatedly noted that many fraud networks operate across international borders, making enforcement and disruption efforts more difficult.
Industry data highlights both the scale of telecom intervention and the persistence of the problem. According to CTIA, wireless providers blocked approximately 55 billion spam and scam text messages during 2024 while also flagging or blocking around 45 billion suspected scam calls each year. Yet fraudulent communications continue to bypass filtering systems and reach consumers.
Additional industry estimates suggest the volume remains substantial. Robocall monitoring company YouMail reported that Americans received more than 50 billion robocalls during 2025. Separate data from RoboKiller indicated that spam text traffic exceeded 19 billion messages per month throughout 2024.
Federal Trade Commission statistics further illustrate the role of telecommunications channels in scam activity. The agency's data shows that text messages were among the most commonly reported methods used by scammers to contact victims, while phone calls also ranked near the top of reported contact methods.
Industry representatives argue that telecom providers are actively engaged in combating the problem. Josh Bercu, senior vice president of policy at USTelecom, said companies support scam prevention efforts through call traceback programs, disruption of unlawful activity, and cooperation with law enforcement investigations. He added that addressing fraud requires coordination across multiple industries rather than action from a single sector alone.
At the same time, some telecommunications providers have introduced paid security-focused services, including advanced call-filtering tools and branded caller identification features. These offerings aim to provide customers with additional protection against unwanted communications.
Consumer advocates, however, believe stronger incentives may be necessary to encourage broader action. Eden Iscil of the National Consumers League argued that companies may not implement the fullest possible protections unless greater accountability or financial consequences are attached to failures in consumer protection.
The discussion reflects a larger challenge facing governments, technology companies, and telecom providers worldwide. As scammers adopt increasingly sophisticated tactics and make greater use of automation, artificial intelligence, and stolen personal data, organizations responsible for digital communications face mounting pressure to strengthen detection systems while ensuring legitimate messages continue to reach consumers without disruption.
