Robo-callers rang Americans’ phones 26 billion times last year. Now, Congress is taking aim.

The ever-worsening scourge of robo-calls is receiving renewed attention in Congress, where top Democrats and Republicans this week are set to take an early step toward cracking down on scammers who prey on consumers’ phones.

The newly revived effort in the Senate takes aim at those who disguise their attempts to steal Americans’ personal information — often by using phone numbers that appear similar to those they’re trying to target. These fraudulent, illegal calls comprised roughly a quarter of the 26 billion robo-calls placed to U.S. mobile numbers last year, according to one industry estimate…

Source:https://wapo.st/2XDNZCs