This week in the United States, there was a major drop in robocalls. Did you notice it too? After the record-breaking 4.4 billion robocalls in April, The Federal Communications Commission has decided to put a permanent stop to these unwanted calls.
Almost everyone receives robocalls daily. These spam calls are often illegal and cost consumers millions.
It’s an absolute epidemic; they make billions of calls, and consequently, thousands of people fall victim to it every day. The situation got so complicated that even the government is involved in stopping this process, which causes millions of dollars daily.
This is an essential step taken by the FCC. Continue reading the article if you wish to get updated on the matter.
How Are Scammers Making These Illegal Robocalls?
Before we begin to answer this question, it is important to know that not all robocalls are scams. Some are genuine too! For example, calls that give you updates regarding schools, police, fire, and all these kinds are mostly legal robocalls. Well, the rest are usually spam.
It is effortless to make spam calls. All you have to do is buy a list of leads, plug them into your computer, and through hacking, get into the system of a call center. That’s it. Then you are good to go!
Surprisingly all the odds are in these scammers’ favor; the chances of getting caught are almost non-existent, plus they make millions and millions of dollars every day. So, it’s a win-win situation for them.
What’s being done to protect us now and into the future from robocalls?
This new FCC’s anti-robocall policy that is in effect since 1st July will solve this issue. The new policy has set a deadline for companies to use new technology.
The new technology is specially designed to reduce spam calls. In simple words, it will help in preventing spoofing. So, what these spam callers do is that they use certain tech-based software, which makes them appear as other phone numbers. The sole reason why they cannot be tracked down easily. This new policy is called “STIR/SHAKEN” by the FCC.
“STIR/SHAKEN enables phone companies to verify that the caller ID information transmitted with a call matches the caller’s real phone number,” according to the FCC.
This new technology is built into the networks; phone users do not have to activate it. FCC hopes that carriers implementing this protocol will help in reducing the deluge of robocalls.
If the FCC’S anti-robot policy is being implemented, then why am I still getting spam calls?
People country-wide experienced a drop in robocalls, meaning that if previously they got 6-8 robocalls, now they are getting 3-4 robocalls daily. So, this only eases the situation but doesn’t serve as a permanent solution.
Why Is This So?
It will take some time for the FCC to completely block robocalls because the scammers are very smart, and they always find a way around the new rules.
The robocall operators work under different company names, using different suppliers and carriers. It’s a cycle that they keep modifying and using. And the worst part is that they might not get caught at all. When the government does something to stop robocalls, these scammers develop new ideas to cancel out the government’s efforts.
Now you might be questioning whether these calls will ever end. It’s a pretty hard question to answer because the government has tried a lot of other ways in the past few years, but they were never 100% effective.
How to Stop Robocalls?
This is how you can deal with unwanted calls:
- If the number is unknown or unrecognizable, don’t pick it up.
- If you pick up and the caller asks you to press any key. Without saying anything, hang up on the call.
- In some cases, they use Voice changers to change their voice.
- File a complaint to FCC. Your complaint will get registered on their database, which will help them in keeping track of these callers.
- Many phone companies have a service to block robocalls. Call your respective companies and ask them how you can avail any of those services.
- Don’t give out personal information (like a credit card number or any code) on call. These calls, even if they seem professional, can be potential scams.
This time FCC is determined to end this illegal business, but if we help them out by following the above-mentioned guidelines, this work can be completed faster.
