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Complaints about automated telemarketing calls jumped steeply last year, and have quintupled since 2009, according to a recent FTC report. The report says that in fiscal year 2017, the agency received over 375,000 complaints per month about automated robocalls, up from only 63,000 per month in 2009. That’s a total of 4.5 million robocall complaints, plus an additional 2.5 million complaints about live telemarketing calls. For comparison, there were 3.4 million robocalls and 1.8 million live calls in 2016. (The FCC also regulates robocalls, but has received far fewer complaints — only 185,000 since August of 2016.)
The report says that robocalls are steadily increasing because of cheap access to internet calling services and autodialing, and because it’s getting easier for spammers to hide their true identity and location. People reported more “neighborhood” number spoofing, where calls appear to come from a local area code, in 2017. The most popular topic by far, according to complaint responses, was debt reduction. People also reported spam calls about vacations and timeshares; warranties and protection plans; prescription medication; and “imposter” calls ostensibly from businesses, the government, or family and friends.
https://www.theverge.com/2018/1/1/16837814/robocall-spam-phone-call-increase-2017-ftc-report
(Score: 5, Interesting) by anubi on Wednesday January 03 2018, @04:43AM
Late night TV. Beautiful wimmen are here! Waiting to talk to you! Just 99 cents per minit! Call now, and you will be immediately connected!
Caller-pay technology is here.
What I would love to see is I pay, say, $50/month for my phone. Calls on my contact list go straight through. Covered by my $50 plan.
If a strange call comes in, give me the option of accepting the call, or letting the caller pay 99 cents per minute for my time.
I feel my time is at least worth what people are willing to pay to talk dirty to an oral prostitute. Why do all these businesses assume MY time is free? If some have the gall to charge for their time, why can't I do business the same way?
Interrupt my meal! Just 99 cents per minit! Call now! Billing begins when I answer the phone. I retain the right to accept the call as a free-to-caller phone, otherwise, the 99 cents per minit goes to paying down my phone bill.
Do business like a business does business, and we will see these robocalls go away really fast. ( let the 99 cent warning play before my phone actually rings to allow the caller to terminate before getting nailed. If their robot goes ahead and demands my answer, their robot has also accepted the charge in their behalf. ).
"Prove all things; hold fast that which is good." [KJV: I Thessalonians 5:21]