It’s hard to deny that technology has made our lives easier in a number of ways. From self-checkouts to smartphone technology, it’s hard to imagine a world without robotic tech living among us. Of course, this also has some downsides, especially when it comes to scams and fraud calls.
In addition to spam text messages and emails, you may encounter a type of fraud called robocalls.
Robocalls are pre-recorded messages that are often sent to mass populations each day. If you’ve ever answered the phone and were connected to a random voice rather than a real person, you are likely the recipient of an illegal robocall.
But where exactly did these come from, and why did they start in the first place? Here is your complete history on robocalls.
Dinner Hour Telemarketing
Robocalls have actually been around for decades, but in the very beginning, they worked a little bit differently. In the late 80s and early 90s, it started off as “dinner hour marketing,” in which real people made house calls trying to sell products or services.
At that time, making robocalls to mass recipients was a lot more expensive. Additionally, these telemarketers usually just intended to sell a specific product rather than obtain personal information, which is a current trend in modern robocallers.
Rise of Computers
As computers became more advanced in the late 80s and 90s, telemarketers began to find new ways to utilize technology to make mass phone calls with pre-recorded messages. It started off with large box-like pieces of hardware that allowed individuals to make mass calls. But now, it’s as simple as using a smartphone app.
While telemarketing calls from real people still exist, they don’t seem to be as prevalent as pre-recorded messages. After all, recording just one message and sending it out to millions of people at once is a lot more efficient than calling a million people individually.
New advancements in technology have only made these types of calls more prevalent. And while caller ID is a powerful tool to help recognize unsolicited numbers before they make it through, robocallers have even figured out how to alter caller ID through spoofing.
This is all to say that robocalls have only become more prevalent and dangerous since their humble fruition in the late 80s. In fact, it was predicted that over 50% of phone calls in 2019 would be spam. These spam calls could be fraudsters pretending to be a pharmacy that's filled your prescription, a radio contest telling you that you've won a sweepstakes or a variety of other phishing scams.
The Government Takes Action
The Federal Communications Commission (FTC) recognized an issue with robocalls and took some action in 1991. The Telephone Consumer Protection Act set a number of laws to protect individuals from the frustration of annoying robotic phone calls.
Under this act, it made it illegal for companies or individuals to make pre-recorded robocalls with the intent of trying to sell you something. However, automated messages by themselves are still legal, and even if your voicemail inbox is getting filled to the brim with unwanted calls, you may not be able to take legal action.
With that said, companies can call you to sell products if they’ve received written consent to do so. Additionally, the Federal Trade Commission allows certain calls to pass through without consent, like political calls or charitable organizations asking for money.
New updates to this regulation have also made it so that you can stop robocalls in their tracks by just stating that you want the call to end.
While these rules are helpful, scammers can also use these loopholes to try to steal your personal information and put your privacy at risk.
However, there are plenty of ways that you can go about reporting and blocking spam robocalls.
How to Stop Robocalls
Although it’s become easier for scammers and telemarketers to make robocalls, it has also become a lot easier to stop them in their tracks. Here are some effective ways to cut down on spam calls.
Hang Up
One of the most important actions to take when you receive a pre-recorded phone call is hanging up the phone. If you press a button or interact with the call, it may alert the automated system that the number they’ve reached is connected to a real person. This can lead to future spam calls from the same number.
Additionally, never give out personal information over the phone. Scammers and robocallers may often claim to originate from government agencies or major businesses. These types of corporations will rarely call you without previous correspondence, so never give you bank account info or private info without first ensuring the authenticity of the call.
Block Them
If you receive a robocall, you can prevent that same number from calling you back by blocking it directly on your phone. If you have an iPhone, just go to the Phone app and click on “Recents.”
Then, press the blue information button next to the number you wish to block and click “Block This Caller.”
On an Android, the process is pretty similar. You’ll go to the Phone app and tap “Recents.” Then, long-press the number that you want to block and just hit “Block.”
Even landlines can block calls using VoIP if they make calls over the internet. Simply contact your carrier and see if they offer this service.
You can also try to prevent these types of calls from coming through in the first place by adding yourself to the Do Not Call registry, which is a government-run database that makes it unlawful for telemarketers to contact you.
After it takes effect, robocallers and telemarketers will receive immense fines if they give you a ring.
Finally, you can silence unknown callers, filtering all unknown numbers. This can be easier than blocking the specific numbers that have contacted you in the past, but it could mean you miss legitimate calls from people who aren't already on your contacts list.
Use a Call Blocking App
The problem with blocking robocalls after they’ve already given you a call is that they’ve already caused you frustration. However, you can download third-party apps on your iOs and Android devices as a scam shield to filter out phone calls before they ever even reach your number.
Some carriers offer their own proprietary call filter app, like AT&T Call Protect.
Firewall creates a whitelist based on your contacts, giving you full control over who is allowed to ring through. Every time you receive a call, you’ll first see exactly who is calling and why. Then, you’ll have the option to take the call or ignore it. Not to mention, it can block SMS spam messages from clogging up your text message inbox, too.
You can also keep your personal number safe with Burner, which provides you with a second burner phone number so robocallers and strangers never actually gain access to your real phone number.
Conversely, only your Burner number will appear on the recipient’s caller ID when you make an outgoing call.
Conclusion
Robocalls began as a dinner-time nuisance, with telemarketers calling each home individually to try to sell products. However, now that technology has made it easy to call millions of people at just one time, robocalls have shifted towards more devious methods that elude authentication methods.
While the government has taken action to make it illegal for robotic telemarketing calls to come through your line, it is not necessarily illegal for pre-recorded messages to make their way into your inbox. However, there are simple ways to ensure that only the people you know are able to access your phone number. These methods work across many carriers, whether you're with Verizon, T-Mobile, Sprint, or others.
If a robocall comes up on your device, hang up the phone and do not engage with the pre-recorded message. You can also use reverse number lookup to screen your calls before answering. Additionally, be sure to block the number after the fact or even consider using a call blocking app to make sure that these sorts of calls don’t get through in the first place.
Sources:
S.1462 - 102nd Congress (1991-1992): Telephone Consumer Protection Act of 1991 | Congress.gov