A robocall is a call delivering preset messages via audio dialing programs to innumerable people daily. When you answer a phone and rather than hearing a human voice, you’re listening to a pre-recorded message; it is a robocall.
Billions of robocalls are made globally weekly, and it appears more like a nuisance sometimes. Technology simplifies it for the telemarketers to make robocalls easily at cheap rates.
Do robocalls enjoy legal status?
Laws differ by area, so it is worth noticing that in some places, robocalls are legal, while in others, they are not. Some legal robocall lists include:
Informational messages
For instance, a call involving your booking has been canceled, or you have a medical appointment due.
Debt collection calls
A business that collects debts can use recorded messages to remind of the payments.
Healthcare professionals
They can make calls to remind you to get your prescription refilled.
Answering a robocall
If you get a robocall, the right idea is not to answer. If you answer it, your number is marked good by the scammers, even if you don’t buy into the scam. They will again make an effort to trap you in their fraudulency.
In the past few years, spoofing calls have become very common. They often mimic a real person’s ID or company’s name to cheat you into answering the call. This is why you should be careful when answering them.
- Hang up if you come to know it’s a robocall
The less you speak the better.
- Do not say yes to anything
Most robocalls begin with “Hello, can you hear me,” to which people say yes. They can use this recording as a confirmation to perform scamming activities.
- Never follow the instructions of the bot
Robocalls may prompt you to press 1 to speak to a representative or 2 to unsubscribe. Do not follow their instructions.
- Report the call
You can report such calls to the Federal Trade Commission in the United States. The FTC will track down the fraud and prevent their scamming activities.
- Practice caution
The robocall caution helps manage damage when it comes to scamming. They may acquire your credit card details and make transactions. They may use your ID for illegitimate things and more. Hence, firstly, you should use call blocking solutions and block such numbers. You can also place do-not-call requests to prevent getting calls from such numbers.
However, even after giving written consent or practicing a do-not-call request, you can take the party to court for the law violation if you are still getting calls from numbers on your do-not-call list. You can file a robocall lawsuit for the damage of $500, whichever is more.