We have all experienced robocalls at this point. If you haven’t received a robocall, you should buy a lottery ticket, because your odds of drawing a winning Powerball number are probably better than the odds of never having received a robocall. In 2018 alone, over 26.3 billion robocalls were placed in the US, according to to a report put out by Hiya, a company that specializes in caller id products and services. For a little perspective, that’s about 834 calls per second – over 80 robocalls per person living in the United States.
The Sweetest Exposure for Deserving Criminals
A tweet put out today by the FCC warns consumers to be aware of voicemail callback scams. Upon reading the related article published on the FCC website, I couldn’t help but burst into laughter. The scam itself isn’t funny at all, but the fact that the scammers inadvertently targeted the regulators themselves with voicemail callback scams, is hilarious. Patrick Webre, from the FCC included two recordings of voicemail callback scams that he received personally. I can’t imagine this ending well for the scammers involved. Hopefully they face swift justice. You can listen to what they sound like below.
Looking Forward to Phone Calls is Nostalgia
For those of us who predate the cellular phone, memories of eagerly racing to the phone are just that – memories. It’s probably hard for younger millennials and generation Z to understand that once upon a time, there was a feeling of excitement associated with receiving a phone call. Today, the only feeling I get when my phone rings is skepticism. For me personally, about 90% of the calls I receive are unsolicited sales calls in spite of my number being on the national do not call list. The remaining 10% are business related – so I answer every call.
All eyes of government watchdog agencies are laser focused on the robocall epidemic. Telephone carriers like Verizon and others are also stepping in to stem the growing tide of junk calls plaguing consumers. Maybe one day, we can get back to a place where 90% of the calls we receive are legitimate and only 10% are sales calls. When I was a teen, I begged everyone in my household to give me the phone when sales people called, because I loved to play games with them and waste their time. It was like a prank call that I couldn’t get in trouble for, because they called us. I have passed this practice down to my own children – and they fight over who’s turn it is to “troll the scammers”! Fortunately for them, a never ending supply of junk calls means they usually don’t have to wait very long for their turn to come back around.
Be Careful and Make Sure Your Friends and Family Are Aware
Especially make sure your elderly friends and family are aware of these types of scams. The elderly are the most likely to fall for voicemail callback scams. Many seniors have not kept up with technology and calls like this, while obvious scams to some, can be extremely alarming and convincing to others.
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