Ohio Governor Mike DeWine signed new telemarketing regulations into law. The bill, known as Senate Bill 54, outlaws the use of phone number spoofing to make the recipient believe that a call is coming from a trusted source. It includes additional penalties for situations in which spoofing is used fraudulently to target certain categories of vulnerable individuals, including the elderly, disabled people, and veterans and their spouses. Violations of this law may be prosecuted as fifth-degree felonies, or fourth-degree felonies if they target the aforementioned categories of vulnerable individuals.

The bill authorizes the state’s Attorney General to enforce robocall violations in state court as well as federal court. Additionally, according to the governor’s press release, it “establishes a safe harbor with the major telecommunications providers to protect good actors and encourage best practices recommended by the FCC.”