Some Great Advice from the FCC
The Federal Communications Commission (FCC), the Federal Trade Commission (FTC), the Industry Traceback Group (ITG, including Commio!), and others in the telecommunications industry are all working hard to reduce the proliferation of illegal robocalling. The FCC also lists a variety of ways you can protect yourself as a consumer:
- Don’t answer calls from unknown numbers. If you do answer, hang up immediately.
- You may not be able to tell right away if an incoming call is spoofed. Be aware: Caller ID showing a “local” number doesn’t necessarily mean it’s a local caller.
- If you answer and a caller—or recording—asks you to hit a button to stop getting the calls, you should just hang up. Scammers use this trick to identify potential targets.
- Do not respond to any questions, especially those that can be answered with “Yes.”
- Never give out personal information such as account numbers, Social Security numbers, mother’s maiden name, passwords, or other identifying information in response to unexpected calls or if you are at all suspicious.
- If you get an inquiry from someone who says they represent a company or a government agency, hang up and call the phone number on your account statement or the official website to verify the authenticity of the request. You will typically get a written statement in the mail before you get a call from a legitimate source, particularly if requesting payment.
- Use caution if you are pressured for information immediately.
- If you have a voicemail account with your phone service, set a password for it. Some voicemail services allow access if you call in from your own number. A hacker could spoof your number and gain access to your voicemail if you don’t set a password.
- Talk to your phone company about call blocking tools they may have, and check into apps you can download to your mobile device to block unwanted calls.
- If you use robocall-blocking technology already, let that company know which numbers are producing unwanted calls so they can help block those calls for you and others.
- To block telemarketers, register your number on the Do Not Call List. Legitimate telemarketers consult the list to avoid making unwanted calls.
Report a Phone Number
Commio works hard to keep unwanted traffic off our network. If you receive an illegal robocall on a phone number that appears to belong to Commio, we want to know! Share the details with us here.
See also: How the Telecom Industry is Fighting Robocalls, and The Role of Voice Service Providers
