Contact 13
Are you tired of robocalls?
Las Vegas, NV (KTNV) -- They can strike at any time. We're talking about those annoying telemarketing and robocalls. Tonight, in a Contact 13 consumer alert, Action News anchor Tricia Kean looks at what's really being done to stop your phone from ringing.
"It's, it's just frustrating. Extremely frustrating," says Mick Stilley.
He's tired.
"I never know who it's going to be," says Mick.
Tired of nonstop phone calls from companies he doesn't want to hear from.
"I had people calling me last night who said; if you're a senior citizen you must listen to this message. I don't want to listen to your message. Who are you? They never identify themselves," says Mick.
Like many of us hoping to avoid robocalls, Mick has added his phone number to the "National Do Not Call Registry" run by the Federal Trade Commission. But Mick says he still gets countless unwanted calls every week.
"They just continue to hound me. I've had calls at 7:30 in the morning. I've had calls at 11:30 at night and there's nothing I can do to stop it," says Mick.
So Mick emailed Contact 13 wanting to know what else can he do?
"I don't know how to get rid of them," says Mick.
So we called the FTC and they had some advice. Number one: when you get a robocall, hang up. Don't stay on the phone.
Number two: when prompted to push a button to be taken off a companies phone list, don't do it. The FTC says that often leads to more phone calls.
And number three: if you're getting repeated calls from the same number, remember you can actually pay some phone carriers to block that number.
In the end, the FTC says it's aware of the problem and is actively investigating cases right now. Contact 13 also learned since 2004, the FTC has filed 93 cases involving illegal calls. And they've collected more than $69 million in civil penalties and other relief. In some cases, telemarketers were even put in jail.
And that's good news for people like Mick, who's fed up with robocalls.
"These people who are calling, they're interfering with my privacy and I need to get rid of them. I don't care who they are," says Mick.
So here's the Contact 13 bottom line. The FTC is actually hosting a "Robocall Summit" next week in Washington, D.C.. They'll discuss laws meant to protect you and technology that can help stop these illegal calls.
It's important to note, the Do Not Call Registry doesn't block all calls. Political organizations and charities are still allowed to call you.
This site uses Facebook comments to make it easier for you to contribute. If you see a comment you would like to flag for spam or abuse, click the "x" in the upper right of it. By posting, you agree to our Terms of Use.