Royal Tiger Designated as Key Threat in FCC's Battle Against Fraudulent Robocalls

The Federal Communications Commission (FCC) has taken a step in combatting robocall fraud by designating the entity known as "Royal Tiger" as its first Consumer Communications Information Services Threat (C-CIST). This designation aims to enhance the FCC's ability to track and mitigate the activities of groups like Royal Tiger, which have been persistently facilitating robocall campaigns designed to defraud and harm consumers. Operating out of India, the United Kingdom, the United Arab Emirates, and the United States, Royal Tiger and its affiliates, including PZ Telecommunication LLC, Illum Telecommunication Limited, and One Eye LLC, have been implicated in numerous schemes that impersonate government agencies, banks, and utility companies to deceive consumers.

Royal Tiger's operations are notably complex, using multiple companies and convoluted corporate structures to evade detection and continue their illegal activities. The group's tactics include using spoofed phone numbers and generative AI voice-cloning technology to make their scams more convincing and difficult to trace. This approach has allowed them to push fake credit card interest rate reduction offers and solicit purchase authorizations for non-existent orders, causing significant financial harm to unsuspecting individuals. The FCC's new C-CIST classification is a part of a broader effort to enhance the identification of known threats before they reach U.S. networks and to provide vital information to industry stakeholders to strengthen their "Know Your Customer" and "Know Your Upstream Provider" processes.

The implications of Royal Tiger's activities extend beyond individual consumer harm to broader issues of public trust in telecommunications. The group's persistent use of illegal robocalls to impersonate trusted institutions not only leads to substantial financial losses but also erodes confidence in the telecommunications network. In response, the FCC, along with its state, federal, and global regulatory and law enforcement partners, is intensifying efforts to shut down these operations. Tools like the C-CIST designation help coordinate these efforts by providing a clearer picture of the entities behind these scams. As noted by FCC Chairwoman Jessica Rosenworcel, the goal is to use every available tool to stop these harmful practices and protect consumers from further harm.

In light of these developments, consumers, law enforcement, and industry stakeholders are urged to view Royal Tiger as a significant threat to communications integrity. The FCC encourages anyone suspecting violations by Royal Tiger or associated entities to report them, helping to build a more robust defense against these pervasive and damaging schemes. This proactive approach by the FCC is part of the larger and ongoing 'Spring Cleaning' campaign, aimed at rooting out and combating the tactics employed by groups like Royal Tiger to exploit consumers and undermine the telecommunications system.