Regulatory update · FCC & rulemaking
FCC Warns SK Teleco Over 8 Million Walmart Impersonation Robocalls
The bottom line: on December 2, 2025, the Enforcement Bureau of the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) sent SK Teleco LLC of Missoula, Montana, a notice of suspected illegal traffic. The Bureau found that SK Teleco was originating illegal robocalls impersonating Walmart and that the company's Robocall Mitigation Database (RMD) filing was deficient. Failure to act could lead downstream providers to block all of its traffic.
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What happened
According to the FCC:
- USTelecom's Industry Traceback Group (ITG) traced 29 calls to wireless numbers between January 21 and April 11, 2025.
- The prerecorded messages claimed to be from "Mary" or "Kimberly" at Walmart. They said a preauthorized order of $919.45 for a PlayStation 5 had been placed on the recipient's account and told the recipient to "press 1" to cancel.
- Recipients who pressed 1 or called back reported reaching live operators who, in some cases, impersonated a federal agency and asked for personal information, including Social Security numbers.
- YouMail estimated nearly 8 million robocalls in the campaign between January and April 2025, and 22.5 million since 2024.
- The FCC said SK Teleco appeared to be the primary source of these calls during the past year.
These are the FCC's findings in a notice letter. They are not a final judgment.
What the FCC required
The Bureau directed SK Teleco to:
- Investigate the traffic and report the steps taken to mitigate it within 48 hours.
- Effectively mitigate the traffic within 14 days to avoid blocking by downstream providers.
- Cure its deficient RMD certification, or face removal from the database.
Removal from the RMD requires other providers to stop accepting the company's calls directly.
Why it matters
Impersonating a brand is one of the most common robocall scams. The FCC is using its blocking tools to reach the providers that carry these calls, not just the callers.
What this means for you
- Providers: Know your customers and monitor for prerecorded campaigns using retail brand names.
- Keep your RMD filing current. A deficient filing is its own path to being cut off.
- Respond to tracebacks fast. The rules require a response within 24 hours.
- Businesses: If your brand is being impersonated, report it to the ITG and the FCC.
Not legal advice. TCPA.com provides general information, not legal advice, and is not a substitute for the advice of an attorney. Do not rely on it. Verify any action with your own licensed lawyer before you take it. See our Terms of Use.
About the Author: Harrison Gevirtz
Harrison Gevirtz serves as the Chief Strategy Officer (CSO) of Ringba, a call tracking and pay per call platform, and is based in Las Vegas, Nevada. Harrison Gevirtz is a serial operator in call tracking, call routing and telemarketing operations, and for the past several years he has focused on how federal regulations affect the daily operations of these industries. At TCPA.com, Harrison Gevirtz covers TCPA litigation, Telemarketing Sales Rule (TSR) enforcement, tech support fraud prosecutions and Federal Communications Commission (FCC) rulemaking in a way that's accessible to the non-lawyer executive or compliance manager.
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