Voters who received the calls heard an AI-generated rendition of President Joe Biden emphasizing that the impact of their vote would be felt in November rather than on the immediate Tuesday preceding the primary election.
President Joe Biden addressed a gathering in Raleigh, North Carolina, on January 18, 2024. The photograph capturing this moment was taken by Ben McKeown and is currently archived.
According to the New Hampshire Attorney General, a company based in Texas has been identified as the originator of a substantial number of robocalls impersonating President Joe Biden. These calls urged Democratic voters to abstain from participating in the state’s January primary.
A cease-and-desist directive was issued to Life Corporation and its founder Walter Monk on a Tuesday.
Recipients of these deceptive calls reportedly heard the AI-generated Biden urging them to save their votes for the November election, rather than casting them on the upcoming Tuesday before the primary, which occurred on January 21.
The Attorney General accused these calls, which appeared to be associated with the former chair of the New Hampshire Democratic Party, of being a deceptive strategy aimed at reducing voter turnout.
Lingo Telecom, another Texas-based entity, was identified as the telecommunications company responsible for a significant portion of these calls. Through investigative tracebacks, Monk’s Corporation was pinpointed as the source of the calls. Furthermore, the Federal Communications Commission, in alignment with the Attorney General’s directives, issued a cease-and-desist order against Lingo to prevent the facilitation of illicit phone activities on its networks.
Lingo allegedly asserted that Life Corporation had the necessary authorization to utilize the spoofed number linked to the group chair, as confirmed by the North Carolina Department of Justice.
Reports Indicate Life Corporation Launched Thousands of Deceptive Calls
The North Carolina Department of Justice informed Life Corporation that their analysis revealed approximately 20,000 calls originating from the spoofed number in the two days leading up to the primary election.
According to North Carolina Special Deputy Attorney General Tracy Nayer, “The Task Force suspects that there was a deliberate attempt to hinder potential voters from exercising their constitutional right to vote and cause harm to the owner of the spoofed phone number.”
The New Hampshire Attorney General revealed that Life Corporation conducted an estimated range of 5,000 to 25,000 fraudulent robocalls.
While the exact number of calls is still under investigation, the New Hampshire Attorney General’s office is actively probing potential infractions of election laws, breaches of consumer protection statutes, and violations of the Telephone Consumer Protection Act.
