‘Hello, this is Rachel from cardholder services.”
“This call is officially a final notice from the IRS — Internal Revenue Service.”
“You are still eligible to reactivate warranty coverage.”
Sound familiar?
If so, you’re in good company. Federal regulators received 3.6 million complaints regarding violations of the National Do Not Call Registry last year alone; about 73,000 came from NYC area codes.
Some calls are frightening, some more innocuous. Some are pre-recorded robocalls. With others, after a short pause from an auto-dialer, you talk with a live person.
They’re annoying and incessant. What’s worse, many callers are committing fraud, often looking for credit card or bank account information, or even a Social Security number. They’re preying on the elderly, the uneducated or those on the financial brink. According to Consumers Union, consumers lose $350 million a year to such scams.
Many are illegal. Even if you’re not on the National Do Not Call Registry, you’re protected by laws that prohibit robocalls, unless you give written consent, or they’re for emergencies or polling.
It’s time to stop the calls, through new technology, sharper teeth on regulations, and, if needed, new laws. The issue is the latest of Sen. Chuck Schumer’s pet projects, and this one is particularly important.
The Federal Trade Commission and the Federal Communications Commission have oversight. Ever since the FTC started the Do Not Call Registry in 2003, it has tried to keep up with scammers, who seem to stay one step ahead.
The best way to beat the robocallers is with better technology. The winner of a 2013 FTC competition, a Long Island company called Nomorobo, can identify and block illegal telemarketing and robocalls. Some cellphone apps work similarly. But some phone companies have resisted. They must come on board now, and make such technology easy to access and free to customers. Also, lawmakers should analyze regulations to see what needs strengthening. And entrepreneurs must be encouraged to innovate, so technology continues to change the game. The calls must end.
