or spoof text messages, and another that allows phone providers to block robocalls by default. The FCC promises that Chairman Ajit Pai "has made combatting unlawful robocalls and malicious caller ID spoofing his top consumer protection priority." (That is, when he's not busy killing net neutrality.) Since being appointed to his position in December 2017, Pai has slapped several telemarketers with hundreds of millions of dollars in fines and helped usher in new rules targeting illegal robocallers - one that allows the agency to punish scammers who place robocalls from outside the U.S. (That's according to a study conducted by the robocall blocking app Truecaller, (opens in a new tab) which also reported an average loss of $244 per victim.) But as they've increased in frequency over the past couple years, they've gotten more convincing, too - and last year almost one in six Americans fell prey to scams, up from 1 in 10 in 2017. both quick and inexpensive." Anyone can run a phone scam nowadays one Florida man managed to place 96 million robocalls all by himself over a three-month period in 2016 before the government cracked down on his shenanigans.Īside from the annoyance factor, robocalls may not seem all that dangerous. According to the BBB, it's made "mass calling and the ability to display fake caller ID information. This onslaught of robocalls has been made possible in part by Voice over Internet Protocol (VoIP), a technology that lets you place voice calls over a broadband internet connection. ![]() ![]() 1 source of consumer complaints to the FCC, making up 60 percent of all filings. consumers in 2018 (as opposed wanted robocalls such as prescription and appointment reminders), up 47 percent from 2017. Last year was a banner year for them: One report estimates that about 26.3 billion unwanted robocalls were placed to U.S. (The Better Business Bureau calls this tactic " neighbor spoofing.") They used to be more irritating than anything, but they seem to be getting more and more aggressive over time.Ĭalls like these are part of an ongoing problem the Federal Communications Commission refers to as "the robocall scourge," where phone scammers are ramping up their efforts to swindle consumers. A very concerned "Cynthia Arnold" gets in touch every week or so "in reference to your federal student loan," claiming she needs to discuss "repayment options with some new changes that have taken effect." (I don't have any federal student loans.) And then there's "Rich," a huffy gentleman who says he's calling me back regarding "the information that we spoke about, about bringing in $10,000 or more every 10 to 14 days." I wonder if I should introduce him to that down-and-out Nigerian prince in my inbox.ĭespite me blocking them every time they call, Cynthia, Rich, and their automated compatriots have continued to contact me from new numbers, sometimes with local area codes as a way of coaxing me to pick up the phone. ![]() Personally speaking, robots call me more than my own mother does. If there's one thing people with iPhones and Android phones can agree on, it's this: Robocalls suck.
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