RoboCalling has reached epidemic proportions
A record 5.3 billion RoboCalls were placed in the month of August, 2019, according to the latest tally. At the rate of growth, RoboCalls could reach 60 billion by the end of this year. "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.
A large number of RoboCalls, almost 40 percent, are from 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.
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.
A large number of RoboCalls, almost 40 percent, are from 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.
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 1000 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.