Zoeller: While new technology to block calls emerges, so too does technology to scam
INDIANAPOLIS, Ind. – Indiana Attorney General Greg Zoeller and the Missouri Attorney General’s Office kicked off their third-annual No Call Law Enforcement Summit today in Indianapolis, focusing on new efforts to stop unwanted calls that continue to harass consumers.
Bringing together consumer protection experts from across the country, the goal of the summit is to share best practices, information on new technologies and innovative law enforcement techniques to reduce unwanted calls.
Unwanted calls and robocalls remain the most common type of consumer complaint made to the Indiana Attorney General’s Office. On average, the AG’s Office receives new Do Not Call and robocall complaints at a rate of 48 complaints per day. If this rate continues, the number of Do Not Call and robocall complaints could exceed 17,000 in 2016.
The YouMail National Robocall Index (YNRI) recently estimated that 2.3 billion robocalls were made in the U.S. in the month of January 2016 alone.
“It has been a long, tireless battle to help protect Hoosiers’ privacy by working to stop unwanted calls that pester, intrude and all too often scam people,†Zoeller said. “Unfortunately, there is no easy solution. As technology improves to stop these calls, so too does technology used by scammers to evade detection. The good news is government, law enforcement, industry and entrepreneurs are coming together to find new strategies to combat these frustrating, costly and time-wasting interruptions.â€
At the urging of Zoeller and Missouri Attorney General Chris Koster along with several other state attorneys general, the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) last year declared that federal law does not prohibit phone carriers from blocking robocalls and robotexts before they reach residential landlines or cell phones. This ruling cleared legal hurdles that some say were preventing the phone carriers from offering call-blocking services. After this ruling, Zoeller led 45 state attorneys general in a letter to five major phone carriers, urging them to utilize their capabilities to take action on call-blocking.
“In Missouri, we are escalating our efforts to end unwanted and illegal telemarketing calls, even filing lawsuits in federal court where the telemarketers face higher penalties of up to $16,000 per violation. When law enforcement and private industry work together to support and offer technologies that arm consumers to protect their privacy, we can make an even stronger impact,†Attorney General Chris Koster said. “It is critical that law enforcement seize upon opportunities such as the No-Call Law Enforcement Summit to discuss the challenges and share best practices in combating this issue.â€
Since the adoption of this rule, efforts to block unwanted calls have emerged.
Zoeller’s office created a call-blocking reference sheet to inform the public about available options and encourage development of new options. The non-exhaustive reference sheet outlines different call-blocking applications and information about each option, including who is able to use it, the cost, benefits, weaknesses and how to obtain it.
Entrepreneurs from PrivacyStar, WhitePages, Inc. and Call Control Technologies participated in the Summit today to discuss their new innovations to help consumers stop unwanted calls.
But as new technology has emerged, so have new scam trends aimed at victimizing consumers.
The Internal Revenue Service (IRS) imposter scam exploded onto the scene and quickly became the top telephone privacy complaint received by the Indiana AG’s Office in 2015, with 1,700 complaints received last year and more than 1,000 complaints received so far this year.
The IRS imposter scam uses fear tactics to convince people they owe the government money. These scammers can spoof Caller ID to make it look like the calls are actually coming from the government agency. Hoosiers lost $65,000 to IRS imposter scammers last year. Nationally, it has cost consumers $15.5 million.
“The best advice I can give to consumers to avoid scams like the IRS scam is don’t use caller ID to verify a caller’s actual identity. And, if anyone ever calls you and demands immediate payment for anything, especially if they ask you to pay by wire transfer or gift card, hang up. Legitimate callers will never engage in such nefarious tactics,†said Bikram Bandy, FTC, Do Not Call Program Coordinator.
Zoeller continues to push for laws that crack down on unwanted calls. Just this month a federal court issued a ruling that was a  big win for Hoosiers’ telephone privacy rights, upholding Indiana’s comprehensive ban on automated robocalls to peoples’ phones without their consent.
Zoeller is also urging Congress to pass the HANGUP Act, which would reverse a new law allowing debt collection robocalls to cell phones.
“Crooks are increasingly using robocalls to rip off vulnerable consumers with the latest scams,” said Tim Marvin, the End Robocalls campaign manager for Consumers Union, the policy and advocacy division of Consumer Reports. “Consumer education can play an important role in helping the public avoid getting ripped off, but it’s only part of the answer. The phone companies need to empower their customers to protect themselves by providing free tools that block robocalls from reaching their homes.”
Participants in this year’s No Call Law Enforcement Summit included representatives from the Federal Communications Commission, Federal Trade Commission, the U.S. Department of Justice, multiple state attorney general offices, the Canadian Radio-Television and Telecommunications Commission, representatives of the telecommunications industry, consumer advocacy groups and business entrepreneurs.
Zoeller reminded Indiana residents to sign up for Indiana’s Do Not Call list, which helps to deter unwanted sales calls and text messages, by visiting www.IndianaConsumer.com or calling 1.888.834.9969.
People who are registered on the Do Not Call list and receive an unwanted call can file a complaint by visiting www.IndianaConsumer.com or calling 1.888.834.9969.
