Many legitimate businesses use robocalls to convey time-sensitive information with their customers in a cost-effective manner, reaching large numbers of people quickly. But there is nothing more invasive and annoying when you are bombarded with robocalls used by scammers, seeking to defraud consumers and maximize their ill-gotten gains. Nearly half of all robocalls are legit. Most are alerts and reminders, mainly payment reminders. But the bad news is that 47% of all robocalls are scams. Consumers have had enough with these unwanted calls, and spoofed robocalls are now the FCC’s top consumer complaint and the top consumer protection priority. 

According to stats released by YouMail, a robocall blocking app for mobile phones, Americans have received a record-breaking 5.7 billion robocalls in October, averaging over 182 million robocalls per day, or 2,115 robocalls per second. It is a 25 percent increase compared to September, and a 7 percent increase over the previous all-time high of 5.2 billion robocalls in March 2019. Scam calls in October increased by 32%. With this new leap, the US has already generated nearly 49 billion robocalls this year. 

The TNS 2019 Robocall Investigation Report from Transaction Network Services (TNS), which analyzed approximately one billion daily calls placed via hundreds of carriers, shows that nearly 30% of all phone calls in the US during the first half of 2019 were either scam or fraudulent calls! It places the approximate volume of sludge coming into people’s phones at a mind-boggling 200 million unwanted calls per day. According to TNS, nuisance robocalls (robocalls without malicious intent) are increasing more rapidly than high-risk calls, at an average rate of 38% from the third quarter of 2018 to the second quarter of 2019. 

The Federal Communications Commission (FCC), which received more than 35,000 consumer complaints about caller ID spoofing in the first half of 2019, is cracking down on illegal robocalls in a variety of ways. Notably, a dozen service providers have agreed to FCC’s recommendations to adopt anti-robocall practices recommended by FCC. Under the agreement, service providers will work to prevent illegal robocalls by implementing call-blocking technology and call verification; providing free, easy-to-use call blocking and labelling tools, and monitoring their networks for robocall traffic. 

The following are some of the federal rules enforced by FTC (Federal Trade Commission) to prevent illegal robocalling, telemarketing practices, and calls made with an auto–dialer or an artificial or pre-recorded voice. 

Telephone Consumer Protection Act (TCPA) and FCC Rules – Restricts specific calls made to residential lines as well as wireless telephone numbers using an artificial or pre-recorded voice or automatic telephone dialing system. 

2009 Truth in Caller ID Act (TICIDA) – Prohibits the transmission of inaccurate or misleading Caller ID information with an intent to defraud, cause harm, or wrongfully obtain anything of value. 

Do Not Call Implementation Act (DNCIA) – Mandates that all telemarketers must consult the National Do Not Call Registry before calling. It requires that FCC shall consult and coordinate with the FTC to maximize consistency with the rule promulgated by the Federal Trade Commission. 

Telemarketing Consumer Fraud and Abuse Prevention Act (Telemarketing Act) and Telemarketing Sales Rule – Prohibits deceptive and abusive telemarketing acts or practices. 

How can a consumer stop unwanted robocalls? 

Robocalls are calls made with an auto–dialer with a pre-recorded or artificial voice. Unfortunately, technology has allowed illegal and spoofed robocalls to be placed more inexpensively and easily from anywhere in the world than ever before. It has become a problem for consumers and a more difficult problem to solve. Let’s be honest; you can’t kill robocalls completely. It is complex to identify illegal calls in real-time to be able to block them without blocking lawful calls. But there are certain things you can do to stop them from constantly blowing up your phone.  

  • If you get calls from unknown numbers, don’t answer. 
  • Do not judge a call by caller ID alone. It is difficult to tell if an incoming call is spoofed. Always remember that caller ID showing a “local” number does not necessarily mean it is a local caller. 
  • Do not press any keys on the phone in response to a pre-recorded message. 
  • Do not respond to any questions or follow instructions to “speak to a live operator”. 
  • Never give out personal information. 
  • Talk to your mobile phone service provider about call blocking tools and start using free and low-cost robocall-blocking apps. 
  • Register your mobile number on the Do Not Call List to block telemarketing calls.