Robocalls keep coming: Here’s how consumers can minimize the calls
Robocalls just keep coming … new numbers calling and calling. It’s annoying, and no wonder, the spam calls are on the rise.
Americans received 4.9 billion robocalls in March. After staying flat for most of the year, the calls spiked 15% from the month before.
Despite efforts from the federal government, including new 2019 legislation allowing them to shut down more than 300 robocall campaigns, scammers just keep finding ways to get around it.
The founder of the robocall blocking app Youmail shared the methods used by scammers to reach unsuspecting targets. “Well the bad guys just went and got real numbers and it turns out when you have a real number, it’s really good. It has a little green check mark on the phone and it may say it’s the IRS. People think it’s the IRS,” said Alex Quilici, CEO Youmail.
The FCC reported that advancements in technology make it cheap and easy to make massive numbers of robocalls and to “spoof” caller ID information to hide a caller’s true identity…
PHOENIX (3TV/CBS 5) – If you’ve tried to sell something online, you know there are a lot of scammers out there looking to take your money. But one of the biggest scams isn’t after your money — it’s after your identity.
It can happen when you post an item for sale on popular sites like Craigslist, Facebook Marketplace, or OfferUp. Scammers will pose as a buyer and text you saying they’re interested, but they say they’re concerned that you’re a scammer.
A verification code then pops up on your screen, and they ask you to read off the code so they know you’re legit. “What they’re really trying to do is set up a Google Voice account tied to your phone number without you knowing,” said Ken Colburn of Data Doctors…
TULSA, Oklahoma –
The Tulsa County Sheriff’s Office (TCSO) has a warning about scammers who are calling people claiming to be deputies and asking for money.
Deputies say some folks have lost as much as $3,500 because of this scam, so they’re reminding the community that this is not how they operate.
Casey Roebuck with the TCSO said these crimes are especially irritating because the scammers have it down to a T.
“I’ve actually been on the phone with one of these guys and they can sound very convincing,” Roebuck said. “They sound very official. And it’s very scary for people to don’t know how we actually do our jobs.”
Deputies say scammers have been calling people saying they are with the Tulsa County Sheriff’s Office.
They say the scammers tell the potential victim that they have a warrant, and they have to pay a bond to avoid arrest…
COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. (KKTV) – On the heels of Veterans Day, I want to share some important new research with you so you can share it with your friends and family. AARP found that veterans are much more likely to fall for scams than civilians. Similar results were found from a study a few years ago. The experts say the most important thing is to educate our community and share the warning signs that service members can watch for.
“What people need to realize is those who are vulnerable, at a vulnerable place in their lives, are more likely to be scammed,” said Colorado Attorney General Phil Weiser. “When you’re leaving active service, that’s a major transition, a transition when you may be looking for new educational opportunities, or you might be moving, or you might be subject to any number of scams that will prey on either your hopes or your fears, which means we need to do better to support our veterans as they leave active service and enter civilian life.”
AARP said four out of five military members or veterans were targeted by scams related to their service or the benefits they receive. One in three who were targeted by a scam, ended up losing money.
Many of the common themes include housing-related scams, romance scams, employment scams and benefits-related scams.
“If you’re leaving active service, you have accrued some pensions, you may get people calling you, pretending to help you with your pension,” Weiser said. “What they’re actually doing, is trying to harm you. What you need to know is when someone calls you and says, ‘Oh I’m a financial professional, I want to help you.’ Do your homework. If someone tries to pressure you and says, ‘Act now, or you’ll lose these benefits’, don’t take the bait. So we need smart and well-prepared professionals to work with our veterans.
The Federal Trade Commission and law enforcement plan to file charges against several companies and individuals as part of a major government clampdown on illegal robocalls.
The mission, known as “Operation Call it Quits,” includes two FTC commissioners from the opposite ends of the political spectrum: Rebecca Kelly Slaughter, a Democrat, and Noah Phillips, a Republican.
The government says that there are tens of billions of robocalls made every year — and when it comes to those calls, Phillips said, there’s no political disagreement “whatsoever…”
November 19, 2018
It is estimated that by early next year, nearly 50 percent of all the calls you get on your cellphone will be robocalls. Last month alone, more than five billion robocalls were made.
Lawmakers last week proposed bipartisan legislation to fine scam robocallers up to $10,000 per call; and the FCC is demanding telecommunications companies lay out their plans to meet new standards, so that scam calls can be identified and stopped.
CBS News asked major companies what they’re doing to stop illegal robocallers and one, T-Mobile, offered to show us…
July 5, 2018
The plague of robocalls is getting worse. Consumers received more than 18 billion in 2017, a 75 percent increase from the year before. They are the number one consumer complaint to the Federal Communications Commission (FCC). It receives more than 200,000 protests a year, and robocalls make up roughly 60 percent of all complaints to the FCC.
“I get about five or six robocalls per week. The area codes are from all over the country,” Carol Berkow said. She is one of millions of Americans plagued by robocalls daily, reports CBS News correspondent Anna Werner….
May 18, 2018
Robocall scams have found new prey. The latest aim at the Chinese immigrant population by preying on their fears about their status in the U.S.
English speakers who get the calls have no idea what’s being said. But Mandarin speakers who answer would hear news that their immigration status may be in jeopardy.
The scam goes something like this: A Mandarin speaker tells the individual that this call is from the Chinese consulate. The person is told the consulate has an important document that must be picked up. That document could affect her status in the U.S. She should press any key to get more information…
February 24, 2018
ELK GROVE, Calif. — Emergency dispatchers in Elk Grove and Sacramento County are seeing an influx of false alarm 911 calls from an Apple repair and refurbishing center off Laguna Boulevard, CBS Sacramento reports. Dispatchers said the calls started in October 2017, and there’s usually no one on the other line.
“We’ve been seeing these calls for the last four months from Apple,” said police dispatcher Jamie Hudson. “We’re able to see quickly where the call is coming from, so when we get one from Apple, the address will come up with their location.”…
February 6, 2018
Only a few days into the tax-filing season, the IRS is sounding an alarm about a new tax scam. Specifically, it’s warning tax preparers to be on guard about the scam, which is aimed at stealing taxpayers’ refunds by using data compromised in tax preparers’ offices.
The agency said it has already received a number of fake tax returns that had accurate taxpayer names, addresses, Social Security numbers and even bank account information for the victims…
December 19, 2017
More people than ever have signed up for the “Do Not Call Registry,” which is supposed to stop telemarketers from bothering you. But spam phone calls continue to burgeon, thanks to illegal robocalls.
During 2017, Americans fielded 76 percent more robocalls than they did in 2016 — for a total of 18 billion, according to a new analysis by Hiya, a robocall blocking service. That’s despite the fact that the Federal Trade Commission’s Do Not Call Registry has grown by nearly 4 million phone numbers over the course of the past year.
September 16, 2017
As if an Equifax data breach affecting more than 140 million customers wasn’t unsettling enough, consumers must be doubly vigilant following news of the massive mishap, experts warn. Even if you were wise enough to put an immediate fraud alert or credit freeze on your credit files, con artists are likely to go into hyperdrive finding new ways to take advantage of the hack and the publicity surrounding it.
“Don’t panic. But be vigilant,” said Susan Grant, director of consumer protection and privacy at the Consumer Federation of America. “With this breach, criminals have everything they need to victimize you.”…
August 1, 2017
Your phone rings. You don’t recognize the number, but you answer anyway. “Hello, hello?” Then a prerecorded voice comes on the line: “Congratulations! You’ve been selected to receive at absolutely no cost to you free installation of aluminum siding for your home, along with a set of solar panels …”
By this point, if you have any common sense, you’ve already hung up. But you wonder: How could this happen since you’ve already signed up for the “do not call” list? And why are these scammers allowed to annoy me?…
May 11, 2017
More than 29 billion robocalls bombarded Americans last year.
That amounts to roughly 90 robocalls for every man, woman and child, with some getting several calls each day.
In a rare interview, CBS News correspondent Anna Werner speaks with new FCC Chairman Ajit Pai and goes inside the new effort to stop these calls to your home, cell phone or office…
March 9, 2017
A growing number of consumers are falling victim to impostor scams. That’s when a con artist impersonates someone trustworthy, like a government official or law enforcement agent.
A new report from the Federal Trade Commission says complaints about impostor scams surpassed identity theft for the first time. The FTC looked at more than three million consumer complaints. American consumers reported losing more than $744 million overall to fraud in 2016, averaging roughly $1,000 per victim…