NASHVILLE (AP) — Tennessee's attorney general has joined several dozen other states to ask the federal government to take action on illegal robocalls.

Attorney General Herbert H. Slatery III's office said in a news release that a document signed by officials from almost three dozen states asks the Federal Communications Commission to create new rules to allow telephone service providers to block more calls.

The document says scammers using illegal robocalls are able to get around a call blocking order entered last year by disguising their identities. The release said they also make the calls appear to come from the same local area code as the person receiving the call.

The attorneys general are seeking authority allowing service providers to use new technology to detect and block illegal spoofed calls.