Items tagged with Robocalls
“We have been trying to reach you about your car's extended warranty.” This statement has become something of a joke, but it serves to highlight people’s ongoing frustration with robocalls and text messages. The United States Federal Communications Commission (FCC) is currently working on reducing these annoyances, and has proposed a rule that would require mobile wireless providers to block robotexts. Acting FCC Chairwoman Jessica Rosenworcel remarked, “We’ve seen a rise in scammers trying to take advantage of our trust of text messages by sending bogus robotexts that try to trick consumers to share sensitive information or click on malicious links. It’s time...
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There's a high chance that you've recently received a call marked as “Possible Spam” from your phone provider. You may have even received a call that appears to have originated from your area code and then realized after answering that you were the latest victim of a robocall. This still occurs even after placing your phone number on the national Do Not Call list. The Federal Communications Commission (FCC) is now taking aim at attempting to [hopefully] end those types of calls once and for all. The FCC stated this week that it has proposed rules that are aimed at ensuring “networks that serve as entry points for foreign-originated phone calls do their part to prevent this traffic...
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The FCC is pushing for a record fine against a telemarketer that made approximately 1 billion spoofed robocalls in less than five months to consumers in the United States. Many of the Americans who received the spoofed robocalls were on the national Do Not Call List. The FCC has proposed a record $225 million fine against the Texas-based health insurance telemarketer representing the most substantial proposed fine in the FCC's 86-year history. The fine would be levied against John C. Spiller and Jakob A. Mears, who operated their spoofed telemarketing campaign under business names, including Rising Eagle and JSquared Telecom. Rising Eagle made approximately 1 billion spoofed robocalls across...
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The FCC has issued a mandate that all phone companies must support, which will help to fight spoofed robocalls. The FCC adopted new rules on March 31, 2020 that require the implementation of caller ID authentication using technical standards known as STIR/SHAKEN. The FCC says the new rules will further its efforts to protect consumers against malicious caller ID spoofing. Caller ID spoofing is a method used by robocall scam campaigns to trick users into answering their phones. STIR/SHAKEN allows the phone company to verify that caller ID information transmitted with the call matches the caller phone number. According to the FCC, widespread deployment of this new protocol will reduce the effectiveness...
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Mobile phones are ubiquitous these days, and both spammers and scammers have responded by targeting these devices with robocalls—chances are, the IRS is not really after you, despite what that automated voice recording may have said. One way to fight back is with an app designed to block robocalls. However, while these apps may do a decent job of cutting down on unwanted robocalls, the functionality may come at the expense of your privacy. As always, it is important to look at what permissions these apps are requesting, and of course it is good practice to limit your app grabs from trusted sources—Apple's App Store and Google's Play Store, primarily, though there are others. Even...
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The Federal Communications Commission pointed its finger at the telecommunications industry over the weekend and asked for decisive action to be taken against the growing problem of robocalls, a move that prompted AT&T CEO Randall Stephenson to respond by spearheading a new Robocalling Strike Force. Sounds intimidating, doesn't it? AT&T says the Strike Force's mission will be to "accelerate the development and adoption of new tools and solutions to abate the proliferation of robocoalls and to make recommendations to the FCC on the role government can play in this battle." It almost sounds like a declaration of war. FCC Chairman Tom Wheeler probably didn't have this kind of rhetoric in...
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There are few things more annoying than rushing to answer the phone at the most inopportune time only to find out that the caller is just a prerecorded message. These so-called "robocalls" have become the bane of the Federal Trade Commission (FTC), especially as advances in technology make it easier for telemarketers to get around the current blocks the FTC have in place. Looking to step up its game, the FTC wants your help, and it's willing to pay a $50,000 cash prize to the person or team of individuals who comes up with the best overall solution to blocking robocalls on landlines and mobile phones. "Pursuant to its enforcement of the Telemarketing Sales Rule, the FTC has stopped entities responsible...
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