Robocalls
We’ve all been there. You’re sitting at home, enjoying a nice relaxing evening after a long day at work. Just as you’re digging into your favorite show, a phone call comes through. You don’t recognize the number, but wonder if you should answer it. “Hello?” “ . . . THIS IS AN URGENT MESSAGE FROM YOUR PHONE COMPANY. VOTERS NEAR YOUR LANDLINE HAVE REPORTED A SERIES OF SCAMS.”
Yup. Another robocall.
Law enforcement works hard to prevent scam robocalls, but there’s only so much they can do. With all the phone calls in the world, a scammer can easily sneak a few illegal calls from their phone or device. The scam doesn’t have to be fancy or even creative—it just has to get people’s attention and scare them into giving away sensitive personal information.
Most spam will probably be automated, without a human on the other end. They’re called “robocalls” because you’re talking to a machine, not a human being. While tons of voice service providers use prerecorded messages to handle incoming calls, very few legitimate businesses use them. If it’s important enough to call you about it, they’ll use a real person.
So why do scam calls often feature a prerecorded message? Simply enough, the message sounds like a real person and makes some kind of urgent claim. Some may claim to require credit card information, or request your social security number. Some robocalls might pretend to be preventing scam calls, even as they take steps to exploit you for personal wealth. Even if your caller ID shows a local number, there’s no way to tell who’s on the other end.
While the best way to prevent robocalls and other phone spam is to hang up, the automated calls will probably still come. Illegal robocallers will try to reach you as many times as they get away with. This article will go over the big questions about robocallers, as well as some ways to combat robocalls and spare yourself (and your cell phone) the trouble.
Where are robocalls coming from?
The tricky thing about robocalls is that they are hard to trace. It’s very easy to relocate illegal robocallers’ software to another location—all you need is a few scammers to pick up their laptops, drive somewhere else, and start making nuisance calls again.
Also, your cell phone can’t tell the difference between a spoofed number and a legitimate one.
A spoofed number is one that looks like a legitimate one. Scammers can hook up their calls in a way that tricks your caller ID display to think it’s a local number. Even if it has your local area code on it, don’t be so sure it’s coming from your neighbor. Spoofing a number lets fraudsters and fakes call from anywhere. It’s the phone call equivalent of lying on your birth certificate, or changing the country of origin on your passport. Spoofed numbers take the place of legitimate numbers and try to disguise as a legal business.
Because of how many scam callers spoof their phone numbers and how easy it is to pull off, most robocalls are hard to track. Some of them could be from far, far away. But wherever they start, their goals are the same: wait for someone to pick up, get their money, and leave as fast as they can.
(There’s a lot more to spoofed numbers, and we haven’t scratched the surface here yet. If you’d like to know more about number spoofing and how it works, check out this link to our other article here.)
Are robocalls illegal?
Yes, scamming robocalls are very illegal. In the United States, running a fraudulent scam call is susceptible to a heavy fine and possibly a prison sentence. They pose as real companies and try to steal your personal information. Obtaining information in this manner is illegal, as are the things they do with it. Most scammers will use anything you give them to clean out your bank account, max out your credit card, and even claim social security benefits. While most won’t fly out to your house and break in, they can steal tons of other things that don’t require a physical location. Any finances, passwords, or data can be turned into a profit, but only if they trick someone into giving the information away. They might use your account number or geographical location to hack into other places, even stealing money unrelated to the information they accessed.
Because of the highly unethical nature of robocalls, as well as the things they do with the gathered information, the Federal Communications Commission is cracking down on illegal scam calls. National governments around the world have enacted similar policies. There’s no country we can think of where people enjoyed getting interrupted by a phone call, only for a prerecorded message to demand sensitive information.
(NOTE: Please keep in mind that while scam robocalls are illegal almost everywhere, the act of having a prerecorded message is not. Many businesses use them to improve call tree function and navigate customers to the right call center. But if a phone company or national government wants to reach out, they will normally use different methods, such as a television broadcast, text message, email, or even Twitter announcements. No self-respecting credit card company would ever call with a machine and ask for your information. If they were really your service provider, wouldn’t they already have your information?)
What should consumers do if they get an illegal robocall?
The easiest way to deal with scam calls is to hang up. You can usually tell whether there’s a human or not in the first few seconds and whether they’re calling about something real. If it’s a call about your upcoming dentist appointment, then you can probably trust it (but don’t give any financial information over the phone). But if the call refers to a car warranty you didn’t register, or a credit card company you don’t work with, then it’s an obvious fraud.
Some calls may be more subtle or more pushy. Some horrible scam calls claim to be from the police and threaten to imprison you if you don’t give them your social security number. But remember, there’s no reason why governments or companies would need to call you to confirm your information. They should already have it, obviously. If the caller asks for sensitive information, or makes threats and demands, simply hang up. It’s just a machine, not a real person. The people who set up robocall machines don’t have the power to enforce the threats they make. There’s no harm in hanging up on them and stopping scammers immediately. Better yet, consider not answering the phone if you don’t recognize the number, regardless of where the area code is from.
What is the best robocall blocker?
If you’re getting lots of robocalls, now might be the time to consider further actions to block them. Please keep in mind that while blocking systems take out lots of the trash, you’ll still occasionally run into a call that comes through. Keep the old “hang up/don’t answer” tactic ready.
If you have a landline phone, see if you can set up Anonymous Call Rejection. Dial *77 on your phone; after you hear three beeps, your landline phone will be in the system. Now if you get any call without a verifiable number, it will automatically be rejected before the phone even rings.
The Federal Trade Commission also has a National Do Not Call Registry. Simply put, if your number’s on the list, it’s illegal for telemarketers to call you for any reason. This protection means that any telemarketing call, legal or illegal, is prevented by law.
(NOTE: It takes up to thirty-one days for a number on the Do Not Call list to be updated, so you may still receive telemarketer communications in the interim. Businesses can also call you if you’ve had transactions with them in the last 18 months. If this happens, and it’s becoming unwelcome, you can let them know you want to be on their do not call list. Be firm if necessary.)
In addition to these legal sanctions and protections, there are also various apps and phone company services to help. These programs help you regain your peace of mind and prevent you from getting interrupted by false communications.
While robocalls are a prevalent problem, there are easy ways to handle them. By blocking nuisance calls’ phone numbers, reporting them to the FCC or another agency, and simply hanging up on unknown numbers, you can protect yourself and your family from ever losing personal information over the phone. If it’s an unknown caller, you aren’t under any obligation to answer the number, just as a phone scam has no right to your personal information.
