In order to provide the best user experience, we had to abandon support for Internet Explorer versions prior to IE9. Upgrade your browser.

Article 3 (Sept 2017): The Robo-calling Epidemic Riles Millions

September 28, 2017
Telemarketers have been a nuisance to phone owners for nearly as long as landlines have been in existence.  Today there are more landlines than ever in addition to cellphones.
              
According to popular robo-calling prevention company YouMail, in one single month, June of 2016, there were 2.4 billion robocalls in the United States; an increase of about a billion calls over the previous year.  According to the New York Times, this resulted in millions of complaints to the Federal Communications Commission (FCC).
              
It's illegal in the U.S. to robocall people who haven't agreed to accept robocalls.  But that hasn't stopped the bad guys because it's nearly free to do.  Companies set up a calling station from anywhere in the world.  These networks operate over the internet and use automated systems to dial numbers, sometimes from a database and sometimes blindly trying millions of numbers.  Once a person answers the phone with a standard greeting, the program connects them to an actual person to move forward with the sales pitch.  Operating in this way means that telemarketers can call more people more efficiently than ever before.  To make matters worse, adding a number to the Do Not Call List, historically a way to block calls, does nothing to curb the offshore companies that will often suffer no repercussions.
                              
Although there isn't a fool-proof way to avoid these robocalls completely, The New York Times suggests that there are a few things that can help the problem.  First, don't answer any calls from an unrecognized number.  Answering tells the caller they have found a legitimate number and they will target more calls to it in the future.  Just because the number shows up as a local area code does not mean that it is a local call.  Second, look for cellphone apps that can stop calls from known robo-dialers on these devices.  These services can disconnect the line, respond with an out of service message, or engage the telemarketer directly without you ever seeing the call come through.

« Return To Articles
Quick Contact


Newsletter Signup

Join our email list and we will keep you informed of sales and promotions and other great deals!

Email Subscribe

Request Literature

Request our Electrical Contact, Carbon Brush, or Control Coil catalogs (via Mail).

Request Now
International: 856-762-0172
Domestic: 800-822-9190

Repco Quick Contact

If you do not see what you need, please let us know what it is and we''ll do our best to help you.

First name required.
Last name required.
Company required.
Valid email required.
Phone number required.
If you are looking for a quote, please include model & quantity in your comments!
Comment required.
Send your inquiry now and we will respond promptly.
Interest is in general information for pagename=articles/Article_3__Sept_2017___The_Robo_calling_Epidemic_Riles_Millions.
Please check the recaptcha box.

Site Search

OEM, Product, Repco ID #s or Terms