HB0236 • 2020

Caller identification fraud-criminal liability.

AN ACT relating to consumer protection; limiting the use of misleading caller identification information by telephone solicitors and merchants as specified; creating a crime for misleading telephone caller identification information as specified; providing penalties; and providing for an effective date.

Crime

Did Not Pass

The latest official action shows that this bill did not move forward in that session.

Sponsor: Representative Jennings
Last action: 2020-02-14
Official status: inactive
Effective date: 3/1/2020

Plain English Breakdown

The official source material does not provide a detailed summary or digest text for the bill.

Law to Stop Fake Caller ID

The bill aims to make it illegal for businesses and telemarketers to use misleading caller ID information during unsolicited calls, with penalties including fines or imprisonment.

What This Bill Does

Makes it against the law for companies and telemarketers to hide their phone number or show a wrong number on caller ID during unsolicited calls.
Requires businesses making unsolicited sales calls to use real numbers they own or have permission to use.
Creates a new crime if someone uses fake caller ID information, which can lead to up to three years in prison and/or a fine of $5,000.

Who It Names or Affects

Businesses that make unsolicited phone calls
Telemarketers who use misleading caller ID information

Terms To Know

Unsolicited telephonic sales call: A phone call made to sell something without the person being called asking for it.
Caller identification service: The feature on a phone that shows who is calling before answering.

Limits and Unknowns

The bill did not pass and was never signed into law.
It only applies to unsolicited calls, not all types of phone calls.

Bill History

2020-02-14 House
H Did not Consider for Introduction Vote
2020-02-12 House
H Received for Introduction
2020-02-12 LSO
Bill Number Assigned

Current Bill Text

Read the full stored bill text

20LSO-0536
2020
STATE OF WYOMING
20LSO-0536
Introduced
2.0

HOUSE BILL NO. HB0236

Caller identification fraud-criminal liability.

Sponsored by: Representative(s) Jennings, Edwards, Laursen, Pelkey and Tass

A BILL

for

Be It Enacted by the Legislature of the State of Wyoming:

Section 1
.

W.S. 40
‑
12
‑
302(c) and by creating a new subsection (f) is amended to read:

40
‑
12
‑
302.

Telephone solicitations.

(c)

No telephone solicitor or merchant who makes an unsolicited telephonic sales call to the telephone line of a residential subscriber in this state shall knowingly utilize any method to block or otherwise circumvent the subscriber's use of a caller identification service
or cause the caller identification service to transmit misleading or inaccurate caller identification information
.
Any number transmitted shall be owned by the solicitor or merchant or used with permission of the owner and shall allow for return calls from the residential subscriber.

(f)

In addition to the civil penalties outlined in W.S. 40
‑
12
‑
304, anyone who makes a call in violation of subsection (b) of this section that also transmitted misleading or inaccurate caller identification information to the caller identification system of the calls recipient is guilty of a felony punishable by not more than three (3) years in prison, a fine of not more than five thousand dollars ($5,000.00) or both.

Section 2
.

This act is effective July 1, 2020
.

(END)

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HB0236