Tuesday, May 8, 2018
The Bible had plagues of locusts. We have plagues of robocalls. They are becoming more frequent and annoying. So what can be done?
More than three billion robocalls were made to US phones just in the month of March, as each month seems to set a new record, with one group describing it as an epidemic, despite the “Do Not Call” registry and other efforts to rein them in.
With so many of these calls pouring in, is it even possible to close the floodgates? One of the ways robocallers are increasingly getting through is “spoof calling” – making a robocall appear as if it’s coming from your area – even from your own number.
What’s being done to at least cut down on these calls, if not block them entirely? What rights do we have as consumers? Mike Collins talks with two people who’ve testified to Congress on consumers’ behalf.
GUESTS
Maureen Mahoney, Consumers Union, public policy fellow
Margot Saunders, National Consumer Law Center, senior counsel
Maggie Reardon, CNET, senior reporter (@maggie_reardon)