I've been feeling so popular lately.
Almost daily, I get phone calls from all over the country.
Stone Mountain, Ga. Chicago, Milwaukee, Bayonne, N.J. Presque Isle, Maine. Kissimmee, Fla. Forks, Wash. Tijeras, N.M.
I'd say that it's wonderful hearing from acquaintances located in different parts of our nation. But when they call, they sound cold -- robotic almost -- and only want to discuss subjects like credit card interest rates, my car warranty's expiration and viruses on my Windows computer (when I only have Mac).
Such "robocallers" aren't friends. They're telemarketers and/or frauds. All are undesirable. And all desire money.
They're not just calling me. An unscientific poll of Facebook friends revealed other Arkansans have been receiving repeated calls from area codes in Colorado, California, Massachusetts, Indiana, New Hampshire, Kentucky, Mississippi, Rhode Island -- and even from Arkansas.
Wasn't the Federal Trade Commission's Do Not Call List supposed to save us from this? In theory, yes. According to donotcall.gov, "Callers are prohibited from making telephone solicitations to any numbers on the Do Not Call list."
Hmm, well, maybe I needed to renew my registration.
Nope. Says the website: "Your numbers will remain on the list until you remove them or discontinue service -- there is no need to re-register numbers. Telemarketers must remove your numbers from their call lists and stop calling you within 31 days from the date you register."
It's been way longer than 31 days since I registered -- in fact, reverse those digits and make it years. I verified via the FTC site that I added my wireless number to the list way back on July 3, 2003. Long before I had an iPhone. That's even before my pink Motorola Razr phone with matching Bluetooth.
Why so many relentless robocall calls, which only seem to increase in frequency despite repeated use of the block number feature? Because they're hard to stop. Thanks to autodialers, prerecorded messages and caller identification spoofing, charlatans can blast scores of citizens in an instant. Most customers don't file complaints (who has the time when calls come in on a daily basis?). And many of the offenders are overseas where U.S. regulations do not apply, even though calls appear to come from say, Seattle.
What is a customer to do? Besides ignoring, hanging up on (interacting is not advised, nor is calling back -- that just informs scammers you are an actual person) and blocking individuals as a temporary fix?
Filing complaints is advised (according to Verizon: "You normally won't see immediate action, but the FTC's complaint database is important -- it helps government agencies and companies go after illegal robocallers and come up with new ways to attack the problem'').
There are free robocall-avoidance tools. Like Little Rock-based First Orion's PrivacyStar app, which flags suspicious callers. Immediately upon downloading and setting up the app, it labeled several numbers in my call lists as "telemarketer"or the more serious all-caps "SCAMMER."
And there are call-blocking services. One is Nomorobo, which detects robocallers on the first ring and blocks their calls. Well, most calls, nomorobo.com admits: "Occasionally a robocaller or a telemarketer will slip through. Just like spam, they keep changing their tactics, and Nomorobo keeps adapting." The service is free for landline users. But it's $1.99 (individual) an $4.99 (family) per month for smartphone users after a free 30-day trial.
But I'm way too cheap for that.
Paying not to get scammed just seems like a scam to me.
Chime in, email:
jchristman@arkansasonline.com
What's in a Dame is a smirk at pop culture. You can hear Jennifer on Little Rock's KURB-FM, B98.5 (B98.com), from 5:30-9 a.m. Monday through Friday.
Style on 01/17/2017