Robocalls are the worst, but an even sketchier call is back with a vengeance, scamming people out hundreds of thousands of dollars.
The FBI calls it the Chinese Embassy Scam, and it comes in as a call in Chinese claiming to be from the Chinese consul…
Category: robocalls
The FTC just came down hard on those annoying robocall operations
Robocalls have become an unfortunately common part of daily life in America. Everyone knows how it works: A phone number, often somewhat similar to your own, calls you and offers some kind of health insurance or student loan scam.
It’s almost not eve…
FTC smacks down robocallers, but the penalties don’t match their heinous crimes
The fight against robocallers is just getting started, and the wheel of justice turns slowly, but the FTC just took down a handful of major operations responsible for billions of unwanted calls, some of them adding additional fraud to the mix. The money coming out of the cases is surprisingly small, however — but there’s a reason for that.
View More FTC smacks down robocallers, but the penalties don’t match their heinous crimesSave $125 on Hushed, an app that hides your phone number from stalkers and telemarketers
Privacy’s a hot topic. Case in point: Facebook’s privacy violations making the news ad infinitum (thus its impending record fine from the Federal Trade Commission), on top of every other company emailing users about security leaks compromising their data.
But with all the focus on social media and email hacks, the phone lays forgotten. Consider all the ways you disseminate your number: on work calls, texts with potential dates, even transactions with Craigslist buyers and sellers. It just takes one unfortunate interaction before your phone’s blowing up with unsolicited inquiries from a persistent stranger or unwanted robocalls from advertisers — which, by the way, have surged to several *billion* calls per month. Not cool. Read more…
More about Robocalls, Mashable Shopping, Shopping Stackcommerce, Hushed, and Tech
View More Save $125 on Hushed, an app that hides your phone number from stalkers and telemarketersJohn Oliver has a perfectly brutal solution to the growing problem of robocalls
Ever picked up your phone to find yourself speaking with a robot?
You’re very much not alone. Everyone’s least favourite form of communication increased by 60 percent last year, per CNBC, and the fact hasn’t gone unnoticed by John Oliver.
In his latest monologue for Last Week Tonight Oliver is on his usual top, angry form — casually slamming mailboxes and AT&T before setting his sights firmly on the Federal Communications Commission (FCC), who he clearly doesn’t think are doing enough to stop call-happy robots.
His solution? A message delivered right to the heart of the FCC itself — via robocall. Read more…
More about John Oliver, Last Week Tonight, Robocalls, Entertainment, and Consumer Tech
View More John Oliver has a perfectly brutal solution to the growing problem of robocallsThis $20 app can help stop the robocalls taking over your phone
While the threat of robots taking over the world is something that always looms large, the more alarming enemies are already within our midst, and they come in the form of aggressive phone calls.
Yup, that’s right, we’re talking about those pesky rob…
FCC tells carriers they must adopt a system to detect scam robocalls by next year
The U.S. Federal Communications Commission is calling on the telecom industry to help put an end to scam robocalls. On Monday, FCC chairman Ajit Pai sent letters to the heads of voice providers, including AT&T, Charter, Comcast, Cox, Frontier, Google, Sprint, T-Mobile, Verizon* and others, urging them to adopt a call authentication system that would […]
View More FCC tells carriers they must adopt a system to detect scam robocalls by next yearFCC tells carriers they must adopt a system to detect scam robocalls by next year
The U.S. Federal Communications Commission is calling on the telecom industry to help put an end to scam robocalls. On Monday, FCC chairman Ajit Pai sent letters to the heads of voice providers, including AT&T, Charter, Comcast, Cox, Frontier, Google, Sprint, T-Mobile, Verizon* and others, urging them to adopt a call authentication system that would […]
View More FCC tells carriers they must adopt a system to detect scam robocalls by next yearFCC slaps robocaller with record $120M fine, but it’s like ’emptying the ocean with a teaspoon’
Whoever thought we would leave telemarketing behind in this brave new smartphone world of ours lacked imagination. Robocalls are a menace growing in volume and even a massive $120 million fine leveled against a prominent source of them by the FCC likely won’t stem the flood.
View More FCC slaps robocaller with record $120M fine, but it’s like ’emptying the ocean with a teaspoon’