INDIANAPOLIS (AP) — Indiana lawmakers are looking into toughening the state’s regulations for telephone solicitation to combat unwanted, and often illegal, sales calls.

A legislative study committee learned last week that nearly 4,000 telephone solicitation complaints have been filed with Indiana’s attorney general’s office so far this year.

Senior Deputy Attorney General Marguerite Sweeney says about 70 percent of unwanted calls are scams. She says the complaints filed are likely a small fraction of unwanted calls received by Hoosiers since there were more than 4.2 billion “robocalls” placed nationwide in just August.

Republican Rep. Jeff Ellington plans to file legislation when the General Assembly reconvenes in January that would better protect businesses from unwanted calls, and make it easier for Indiana to partner with other states on enforcement.