PHOENIX — Arizona Attorney General Mark Brnovich announced Tuesday that the state has joined a nationwide task force to investigate foreign robocalls.

“Foreign robocalls have become a threat to our privacy and security, and they need to be stopped,” Brnovich said in a press release. ” Our bipartisan coalition seeks to end these illegal and unwanted calls and ensure that offenders are held accountable.”

Brnovich said he is on the Anti-Robocall Litigation Task Force of 50 attorney generals to take legal action against telecommunications companies responsible for the more than 33 million scam robocalls being made to Americans every day, the release said.

At least 20 civil investigative demands to 20 gateway providers were issued by the task force to those allegedly responsible for a majority of the scam robocalls.

Gateway providers are responsible for making sure traffic in the U.S. telephone network is legal, although, calls could slip by in return for steady revenue, the release said.

To avoid scams or unwanted calls, people were advised to never give personal information over the phone, be aware of pre-recorded calls and to hang up on anyone asking for payment by gift card, wire transfer or cryptocurrency.

Last year, more than $29.8 billion was stolen through robocalls, most of which are coming from overseas, according to the National Consumer Law Center and Electronic Privacy Information Center.

Anyone who believes they have been a victim of consumer fraud can call the attorney general’s office in Phoenix at 602-542-5763 or in Tucson at 520-628-6648.

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