NEW YORK — If you’ve noticed an increase in robocalls recently, you’re not alone, according to PIX 11.
It seems as though the pesky phone calls from unknown numbers are at their highest point so far this year, according to YouMail, an app fighting to block robocallers.
In April 2017 alone, there were 2.5 billion robocalls placed, with more than 29 million of those calls being made to 917 numbers, according to YouMail.
“As robocallers have gotten more sophisticated, our old tools just don’t work anymore. The do-not-call list still works for legitimate companies but most of these robocallers are scammers. They don’t care about any laws. They just want to rip you and your family off,” said Aaron Foss, creator of Nomorobo, a service for blocking robocalls and telemarketers. “The most popular scams right now are offers to lower your credit card interest rates. They’re absolutely trying to prey on people with financial difficulties.”
How to protect yourself
The simplest way is to register yourself on the FTC’s National Do Not Call Registry, which informs telemarketers that they are prohibited from calling registered numbers.
Third-party-apps such as Nomorobo will notify you when a call is from a robocaller.
These third-party-apps allow you to block scamming robocallers, while still letting legal robocalls such as school closing alerts and prescription reminders contact you.
The industry’s biggest companies have formed a Robocall Strike Force to target these pesky – and sometimes dangerous – calls. To find out how your specific phone provider can help you stop unwanted calls, click here.
Read more here.
