Robocalls are not only annoying — there’s an entire dirty industry behind them, FTC reveals

July 5, 2019

The Federal Trade Commission announced last week a crackdown on robocallers, giving one of the clearest pictures yet of the people and organizations behind the avalanche of nuisance phone calls to consumers.

The actions are important because they draw the connection between robocalls, which may seem like mere annoyances, to the fraudulent organizations or illegal mass-calling schemes behind them.

“We have a strong robocalling enforcement program, which is meant to protect wider consumers from abuse and abusive calls,” said Ian Barlow, program coordinator for the FTC’s Do Not Call program...