Many U.S. residents are still receiving annoying robocalls. Although the Federal Communications Commission makes major efforts to prevent these unwanted calls from telemarketers, various companies can still conduct their schemes just to persuade consumers to buy their services.
(Photo : Photo by Koichi Kamoshida/Getty Images)
A Japanese woman uses a mobile phone on March 24, 2006 in Tokyo, Japan. Japanese Internet communications conglomerate Softbank Corp will buy Vodafone's Japanese cellphone unit, Japan Telecom, in a deal worth over $15 billion.
Last June 30, FCC announced that all telecommunication companies must use the so-called Stir/Shaken technology. This innovation is a project where phone companies, such as AT&T, Verizon, Comcast, and T-Mobile, must verify their incoming and outgoing calls, which are routed through their networks.
With the new technology, the government agency expected that fake and spoofed calls would be reduced. Another great thing about Stir/Shaken innovation is that users don't need to do anything to take advantage of it.
The efficiency of this tech mainly depends on how the telecommunication agency efficiently implements it. However, their consumers are still complaining about the annoying robocalls.
How To Prevent the Annoying Robocalls
According to CNET's latest report, the Stir/Shaken technology is still not 100% effective when it comes to preventing robocalls.
A man talks on a cell phone in the new American Airlines terminal at John F. Kennedy International Airport July 27, 2005 in New York City. The new, 1.1 billion dollar termninal is the largest to house a single airline at JFK and can process nearly 2000 passengers an hour, according to the airline.
Also Read: Robocalls Now Increase to 4.6 Billion! But, You Can Turn Them Into Cash-- Here's New Tool
However, the requirement of the Federal Communications Commission is still practical when it comes to lessening the number of robocalls.
Since this is the case, FCC's blog post provided some suggestions on how you can prevent spoofed and fake calls yourself:
- Use caution if you are being pressured for information immediately.
- Don't answer calls from unknown numbers. If you answer such a call, hang up immediately.
- You may not be able to tell right away if an incoming call is spoofed.
- Do not respond to any questions, especially those that can be answered with "Yes."
- Talk to your phone company about call blocking tools they may have and check into apps that you can download to your mobile device to block unwanted calls.
- If you have a voice mail account with your phone service, be sure to set a password for it.
In other news, the FCC Anti-Robocall effort focuses on blocking overseas calls from Verizon and other similar companies. On the other hand, the FCC fine targeted telemarketers, requiring them to pay $225 million due to billions of robocalls.
FCC's Efforts Against Robocalls
The Federal Communications Commission also provided their efforts against robocalls. These include the following:
- Allowing consumer options on tools to block calls from any number that doesn't appear on a customer's contact list or other "white list."
- Issuing hundreds of millions of dollars in enforcement actions against illegal robocalls.
- Requiring phone companies to implement caller ID authentication to help reduce illegal spoofing.
For more news updates about robocalls and other similar telecommunications issues, always keep your tabs open here at TechTimes.
Related Article: Verizon, T-Mobile, Will Soon Be Unable To Send Robocalls, Thanks to Stir/Shaken Tech
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Written by: Griffin Davis
