RoboCalling has reached epidemic proportions
A record 5.7 billion RoboCalls were placed to Americans in the month of October, 2019, according to the latest tally. This is a 25% increase from September, and more than 2,000 calls every second! Through October, the U.S. received approximately 49 billion RoboCalls, which is already more than the total number of calls in 2018. RoboCalls could reach 60 billion by the end of 2019. "Every time we think the RoboCall epidemic has peaked, it turns out it hasn't," says CEO Alex Quilici of YouMail, a RoboCall blocking and tracking company.
Of the estimated 5.7 billion RoboCalls placed in October, an estimated 46.5 percent were scams made by criminals trying to get into your wallet. "RoboCalls often target the most vulnerable populations, including the elderly," says Maureen Mahoney, a policy analyst in Consumer Reports advocacy division. "We've heard from the children of elderly consumers that their parents had been harassed into buying worthless products they did not want or need."
Telephone companies, under pressure by the FCC, are getting the message. They are beginning to implement new technology that could help, but beware. The STIR/SHAKEN technology they have settled on may take years to be effective cross-carrier, and when it is finally up and running, it won't stop RoboCalls. It is only designed to let you know if an incoming call is suspect.
Late last year, Congress passed the Pallone-Thune TRACED (Telephone Robocall Abuse Criminal Enforcement and Deterrence) Act to fight RoboCalls. It requires telephone service providers to verify calls and block RoboCalls at no extra charge to consumers. The Act was signed into law on Monday, December 30, 2019. However, there is no timeframe for implementation.
So what can you do in the meantime, or even long-term to protect yourself and your loved ones? That is our mission - to help consumers prevent unwanted and illegal calls to their landline and mobile phones. On this site, we will do our best to offer effective tools, reviews, links and suggestions to protect all phone users’ privacy, safety, and peace of mind from RoboCalls and tele-criminals.
Of the estimated 5.7 billion RoboCalls placed in October, an estimated 46.5 percent were scams made by criminals trying to get into your wallet. "RoboCalls often target the most vulnerable populations, including the elderly," says Maureen Mahoney, a policy analyst in Consumer Reports advocacy division. "We've heard from the children of elderly consumers that their parents had been harassed into buying worthless products they did not want or need."
Telephone companies, under pressure by the FCC, are getting the message. They are beginning to implement new technology that could help, but beware. The STIR/SHAKEN technology they have settled on may take years to be effective cross-carrier, and when it is finally up and running, it won't stop RoboCalls. It is only designed to let you know if an incoming call is suspect.
Late last year, Congress passed the Pallone-Thune TRACED (Telephone Robocall Abuse Criminal Enforcement and Deterrence) Act to fight RoboCalls. It requires telephone service providers to verify calls and block RoboCalls at no extra charge to consumers. The Act was signed into law on Monday, December 30, 2019. However, there is no timeframe for implementation.
So what can you do in the meantime, or even long-term to protect yourself and your loved ones? That is our mission - to help consumers prevent unwanted and illegal calls to their landline and mobile phones. On this site, we will do our best to offer effective tools, reviews, links and suggestions to protect all phone users’ privacy, safety, and peace of mind from RoboCalls and tele-criminals.
Why are we sponsoring this website?
- 27 Million US consumers lost $9.3 Billion to phone scams last year.
- A record 60 Billion illegal RoboCalls are expected to be made this year.
- The average American family is predicted to receive 1,000 unwanted calls this year.
- The FCC and government agencies receive more than 5 million complaints per year on this issue.
- Seniors are most targeted by tele-criminals, followed by Millennials.
- 49% of scammed victims were contacted on their mobile phones.
- RoboCalls can originate from anywhere in the world, making perpetrators difficult to track and lost funds impossible to recover.
- Caller ID "Spoofing" makes it impossible to know who is really calling. Tele-criminals change their caller ID so often, the effectiveness of products, services and apps using blacklists is continually compromised.
- Neither the government nor the phone companies can stop the surge of tele-criminal activity. It is up to each of us to find and implement ways to protect ourselves.