The FTC has just cracked down after millions of Americans expressed their displeasure at being bombarded with countless illegal robocalls. Now, the FTC crackdown has resulted in four huge call centers that carried out billions of these unwanted robocalls being stopped dead in their tracks.

The organizations responsible for these calls were pitching auto warranties, debt-relief services, home security systems, fake charities, and Google search results services. They have since agreed to settle charges that violated the FTC Act and the agency’s Telemarketing Sales Rule (TSR), including its Do Not Call (DNC) provisions.

The FTC spoke out to say that the defendants are banned from robocalling and most other telemarketing activities, specifically those using an automatic dialer. In addition, they will pay significant financial judgments ranging as high as $5.5 million.

One of the defendants was giving out the software platform that resulted in more than one billion illegal robocalls, while another called millions of people under the pretense of several nonexistent charities and asking for donations to benefit veterans.

The FTC has said that “fighting unwanted calls remains one of their highest priorities,” and various internet and cellular service companies have stepped up to offer additional strategies for combatting scams and robocalls, giving Americans more options than ever to avoid these calls. Verizon and AT&T are two carriers that have launched apps programmed to filter spam calls.

In addition, Comcast just launched a new certification system that will be able to verify the authenticity of a caller’s identification.

We can only hope that the FTC continues with this crackdown and stops these robocalls once and for all!