The phone rings and you run to pick it up, only to hear an automated recording. You are not alone.
This message appeared when trying to file a robocall complaint on the FCC’s website.
If the government were shutdown longer, Quilici expects there could have been greater effects.
“The real impact for all of this is the long-term enforcement. So had the government shut down for a long time, the FCC isn’t chasing the bad guys,” he said.
“These two examples make clear robocallers read the news and leverage events to dupe people and get their money. They are very similar to the IRS scam calls that scare people into thinking they owe back taxes, when they do not. Because of the government shutdown, the FTC was not funded and could not receive complaints from consumers. But, we are open and very much want people to report [such calls] to the FTC at donotcall.gov. These complaints are critical to our law enforcement work,” said Lois Greisman, associate director of the FTC’s division of marketing practices.
The FCC directed CNBC to its website.
The FCC is working to, as Chairman Ajit Pai said, “stop the scourge of illegal robocalls.” He has made combating unlawful robocalls and malicious caller ID spoofing his “top consumer protection priority,” the website reads. “Chairman Pai has launched several important public policy initiatives to help combat unlawful robocalls and malicious caller ID spoofing. The Commission under his leadership has also taken unprecedented enforcement actions to punish those who flout consumer protection laws.”
Robocallers also take advantage of other news.
“The last election we saw the student loan scammers talk about how President [Donald] Trump was going to force people to pay back their money right away,” Quilici said. “We’ve seen with Obamacare when there’s the deadline December 15 the scam calls pick up rapidly.”
The scammers can also take advantage of the government being open. “I actually expect to see more about the government being back open and we can now help you than we saw about the government being shut down,” Quilici said.
If the government shuts down again, Quilici expects the same tax calls to start up.
The scammers behind the calls can be from anywhere, even the U.S., but Quilici says they most commonly come from India. To make the calls sound more professional, he says they sometimes hire voiceover talent from the U.S. online.
To stop robocalls, you should report them to the government. You should also not answer calls from unknown numbers, and if you get a message from an unknown caller, do not call back. If you get a call claiming to be from a government agency, call back using the number on their website, according to the FCC.
For your mobile phone, you can download apps to prevent robocalls. There are a few different options, according to Quilici. Some phone companies also offer robocall blocking services, according to the FCC.
Source:CNBC
