Robocalls are automated and unsolicited phone calls that you receive often trying to sell you something. In an increasing number of cases, robocalls are actually scams that are trying to rip you off and that use more sophisticated methods to trick you.
Robocalls and other unsolicited contacts are often fraudulent in nature and are increasingly sneaky in an attempt to trick people into responding. It is estimated that over 5 billion spam calls and 5.8 billion spam texts are received by Americans each month so it’s clearly a massive problem.
The global COVID pandemic saw a dramatic increase in illegal and fraudulent activity with more people working and remaining at home. There is a greater opportunity for scammers to set up fake charities to take advantage of people with false information regarding vaccinations and donations and things of that nature during times of crisis.
Here are 11 facts about robocalls you should know about to help you avoid wasting your time with them and avoid being ripped off.
Not all Robocalls are illegal
Certain robocalls are deemed to be allowed with certain restrictions in place. During political campaigns, election-related autodialed or prerecorded voice calls are allowed to landline telephones without prior express consent from the owner of the phone.
Other examples of legal robocalls include informational calls (a canceled flight, doctor’s appointment reminder, IRS tax reminder, etc), debt collection calls and calls from registered charities.
Robocalls include robotexts
While you’re probably familiar with robocalls that specifically refer to phone calls, robotexts to mobile devices also exist and have specific rules around them.
The FCC has already ruled that the majority of commercial robotexts are illegal because consumers must give the company expressed consent to receive them. This is especially important for people who have a plan that charges them for each incoming text they receive.
Certain texts are allowed without consent however. Manually dialed political text messages to your cellphone are allowed without your prior expressed consent during political campaigns. Read on to see how you can block unwanted texts from your phone using various means.
Certain robocalls and texts are not allowed without expressed consent
Certain types of contact are not allowed without your expressed consent to cellphones, pagers and other mobile devices and to specific designated phone lines including emergency or toll-free lines and phone lines for hospitals and similar facilities.
- autodialed live calls
- autodialed texts
- prerecorded voice messages
You shouldn’t say yes
Have you ever received a phone call and after you say “hello” or some other greeting, hear what sounds like a live voice on the other end respond to you in a cheerful voice by saying something like “Can you hear me” or “Are you the homeowner” or some other closed ended question?
Of course, your automatic response is to say “yes” but this is the worst thing you can do. Instead, you should say nothing and hang up.
The FCC issued a bulletin back in 2017 regarding this strategy of robocalling scammers. When you say “yes” over the phone, the scammer can record your voice response and potentially use it to access your credit card, telephone or other personal accounts. Scammers are becoming increasingly ruthless in that regard.
When you don’t recognize a phone call (or text) don’t be afraid to ignore it. If it’s important you’ll get a letter in the mail or a call back from a legitimate source.
You verify your number by answering the call
Why do robocallers often hang up right after you answer the phone? They called your number to verify it actually exists. By answering the call you let them know the phone number is real and they can now add it to their list of phone numbers that they might potentially sell to other scammers.
Also, don’t press a number on your phone if asked to do so. Some scammers will ask you press 1 to win a prize or to take you off their call list. In actuality, you’ll often get put through to a live person who is trying to sell you something and you’re also verifying your number to them. The only people who operate Do Not Call Lists are governments, not telemarketing companies.
Similarly by responding to a text asking to be taken off their list or clicking reply to an unsolicited email also does the same thing: It lets the sender know your phone number or email address exists and is active.
You can recognize robocall qualities if you do answer the phone
If you do answer a call, learn to quickly recognize that you’ve made a mistake and hang up. When you answer the phone and say “hello” or some other greeting, there is often a delay of a second or so when it’s a telemarketing call before a person on the other end responds. This is because they use predictive software to dial many phone numbers simultaneously and when someone answers the call, the company patches the call through to one of their reps, hence the delay in them responding. You can use this delay to hang up before they respond.
Another clue is when you answer the phone and a second or so after saying hello, you suddenly hear background noise or murmuring in the backyard. This is a sign that you are now on the phone in a call center type environment and have been put through to a phone rep of some kind.
Phone companies block suspicious calls proactively
Beginning in 2017, the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) started to encourage telecom providers to actively block obvious spoofed calls and to encourage caller ID identification to helps consumers recognize any unsolicited calls or texts that they do receive so that they can avoid them. Spoofing is a tactic used for voice calls, texts and emails where a caller maliciously alters the ID information that appears to make it look like they are someone legitimate, perhaps a government agency, telecom provider or bank for example.
We’ve probably all received emails that look like it’s from Netflix or a bank that we may or may not actually do business with but many times it’s actually fake and potentially very dangerous to click on or respond to even when it looks real.
The more calls blocked at the source, the better for the consumer. With a phone call it’s different because it happens in real time and we only have a few seconds to answer it. If it looks like it’s from a legit company we deal with, we may be more inclined to answer it in case it’s important. By answering a scam phone call, not only are we potentially opening ourselves to be ripped off, we’re also verifying to the scammer that our phone number does in fact exist.
You can block unwanted calls and texts
While you can contact the FCC and have your name added to Do Not Call lists, the fact is that many scammers ignore the list and call you anyways. You can also take the situation into your own hands by immediately blocking a number from your cellphone if you receive a call or text from anyone you don’t want to contact you. Depending on your cellphone design, you typically click the Details button for a phone number, click the three dots icon to access options and then click Block contact so that the next time they try to call or text you, the contact will be blocked.
You can also block people from Skype by following on screen prompts when you get a call or message from someone who is not on your Contacts list.
With Whats App, when you receive a message from someone you don’t want to communicate with, click once on the message, click the three dots icon at the top right of the screen, click the More button, and then click Block to block that number from contacting you again.
These options are particularly useful when you receive international robocalls and other unsolicited contacts since foreign companies are not subject to your local laws and can use this to get around legislation.
You can use an app to block unwanted calls
RoboKiller is a popular app you install on your mobile phone to help deal with unwanted calls and texts. It’ll help you accept or block unknown callers using a constantly updated spam list and Live Audio Fingerprinting among other techniques to weed out fake calls and texts. It’ll send unwanted and unsolicited calls directly to a Bot that will take a message and won’t clog your own voice mail system.
Other well-known apps include Truecaller, YouMail, Hiya, and Robo Shield.
Your phone provider may also offer their own options as such as Verizon Call Filter, T-Mobile Scam Shield and AT&T Call Protect.
You can sign up for the Do Not Call List
The FCC has set up a National Do Not Call Registry
website where you can add your home or mobile phone number(s) at no charge to limit the number of unsolicited calls you receive.
In Canada, you can sign up for their Do Not Call List too.
The UK has their Telephone Preference Service (TPS) to opt out of unsolicited calls.
In some countries like Germany, there is no official Do Not Call list since companies are only allowed to contact you with your prior expressed consent unless you are already doing business with them ie. telecom supplier.
Check with your national or local jurisdiction to see what rules and laws apply.
You can file a complaint or report a scam
You can file a complaint if you feel you have received an illegal phone call or text or wish to report what you believe is a spoofed (fake) contact from someone pretending to be someone they are not.
Visit the FCC complaint website to file a complaint.
Summary
Be vigilant when receiving a call, text or email from someone you don’t recognize. Scammers are using more sophisticated means to rip you off. They can also make it look like they are someone legitimate when they are in fact a criminal.
Don’t feel the need to answer phone calls especially if you don’t recognize the number. Don’t respond to unsolicited texts or emails as this lets the scammer confirm that you exist.
Cybersecurity is also becoming a greater concern in that regard and it’s important to use a multiple of options to block and otherwise ignore unwanted emails, robocalls and robotexts at the source.
Learn about how each company you deal with communicates with you. Many legitimate companies and organizations will not use a phone call, text or email for important communication. A password-related problem will undoubtedly require a letter mailed to you, not a text or email.