Robocalls are annoying, insidious and often illegal — and there’s no “magic solution” to stop them

December 23, 2018

By the time you finish reading this sentence, roughly 2,000 more robocalls will have pinged phones across the country.

Most are the same: a buzz emits from an incoming 303, 720 or other familiar area code. Maybe it is a locked-out neighbor? A child’s classmate? But on the other end of the line is a robotic voice rattling off a list of ominous hazards. Something about the IRS, a credit score or mortgage rates. In Colorado alone, 2.4 million robocalls happen each day, according to YouMail, a software company that tracks robocalls and makes blocking software.

“I hear about it all the time, from family, friends and constituents,” Cynthia Coffman , Colorado’s attorney general, said. “People are very frustrated...”