Showing posts with label Robocall. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Robocall. Show all posts

Jul 12, 2019

Robocalls Data

According to recent reports, 48 billion robocalls were made to U.S. mobile phone users in 2018, with scams making up 40 percent of all robocalls. Only 3 to 5 percent of people return these calls which can net criminals thousands of dollars each. Identity theft scams in particular have become increasingly popular and potentially more lucrative for the bad guys. 

Jan 11, 2019

Robocalls

Robocall management company YouMail has been tracking the volume of calls and says that 2018 saw 48 million of them harass cell phone owners in the US last year, up 60 percent from 2017. It is easy for robocallers to spoof a local number and trick you into answering by making you think you are getting a legitimate call from your area instead of from a toll-free number you do not recognize. About 60 percent of robocalls are classified as legitimate, even if they seem annoying to you. Those would be things like automated messages from pharmacies, schools and political candidates. I think we need to renegotiate what constitutes 'legitimate robocall'.

Aug 8, 2014

Do Not Call

Go to the website https://www.donotcall.gov/ and enter your landline or cell number. There is an e-mail verification and you are done. You can also call 888-382-1222 from any phone you want on the list. Your number stays on the list until you ask for it to be removed or you give up the number.

If you receive a phone call from someone claiming to work at the Do Not Call Registry or Federal Trade Commission and they offer to sign you up if you provide some personal information, do not respond. This is always a scam.

The Do Not Call list keeps you off of for-profit business call lists, but it can take up to 31 days before it goes into effect. If you receive an unexpected sales call after you registered your number, and you have been on the list for 31 days, you may file a complaint. Go to the donotcall.gov site above or call 888-382-1222. You will be asked to provide the date of the call and the company's name or phone number.

Unfortunately, political organizations, charities, and survey takers are still permitted to call you. Businesses you purchased from or made a payment to in the last 18 months also have a right to call. If you ask them not to, they must honor your request.  Political and informational robocalls, such as those from health care providers, banks, and schools, are still allowed.

The fine print on free product offers may say the company may send you telemarketing calls.

In spite of frequent email hoaxes, mobile telephone numbers have never been in any danger of being made public or released to telemarketers. The FTC says that unsolicited telemarketing calls or robocalls to cellphones are illegal. If you get unsolicited marketing calls on your cellphone, tell them you do not want to be contacted and you can file a complaint using the information above.

If you sign up and still receive a telemarketing call, it is most likely the person on the other end is a scammer. Legitimate telemarketers do not want to risk a $16,000 fine for disregarding a number on the list.