GREENSBORO, N.C. — Scammers are everywhere. They try to do anything they can to get your money.
You need to know how to protect yourself and where to report scammers. 2 Wants to Know spoke with North Carolina Attorney General Josh Stein (D) to help inform you.
Stein said it's hard to estimate how much money North Carolinians lost to robocall scams because the data are self-reported. He said one woman who filed a complaint lost $1 million, her life savings.
Stein was part of a bipartisan coalition of attorneys general that pushed for a software called STIR/SHAKEN to be implemented across phone providers. According to the Federal Communications Commission (FCC), STIR/SHAKEN ensures that calls traveling through phone networks would have their caller ID "signed" as legitimate by originating carriers and validated by others before reaching you.
All major phone providers have already implemented the software. Smaller phone companies have two years to do so. Stein said he's leading another group of attorneys general that wants the FCC to move that deadline up.
North Carolinians can report robocalls at www.ncdoj.gov/norobo or use a dedicated robo-report hotline (1-844-8-NO-ROBO).
North Carolina Attorney General Josh Stein led a $26 billion agreement with four drug distributors, including Johnson & Johnson.
Of that money, $750 million is coming to North Carolina. This was part of Stein's efforts to address the opioid epidemic in the state.
Stein partnered with attorneys general from across the country in the agreement.
Stein also negotiated a $4.5 billion bankruptcy plan with Purdue Pharma. The plan brings about an additional $100 million to North Carolina for opioid addiction treatment.