New efforts are needed to stop pesky and illegal telemarketers

March 8, 2016 By The Editorial Board

Suffolk County will run out of assignable phone numbers in 2016, according to John Manning, executive director of the North American Numbering Plan Administration. (Credit: iStock)

‘Hello, this is Rachel from cardholder services.”

“This call is officially a final notice from the IRS — Internal Revenue Service.”

“You are still eligible to reactivate warranty coverage.”

“We’ve had a report of serious virus problems from your computer.”

“You have won a free vacation!”

Sound familiar?

If so, you’re in good company. Federal regulators received 3.6 million complaints regarding violations of the National Do Not Call Registry last year alone; about 49,000 came from area codes 516 and 631.

Some calls are frightening, some more innocuous. Some are robocalls with recorded messages and instructions to “press 1.” With others, after a short pause from an auto-dialer, you talk with a live person.

They’re annoying, often interrupting dinner or the few moments of family time we have. But lately, they’ve become incessant. What’s worse, many callers are committing fraud, pretending to help when they’re looking for credit card or bank account information, or even a Social Security number. They’re preying on the weakest victims: the elderly, the uneducated or those on the financial brink. According to Consumers Union, consumers lose $350 million a year to such scams.

Many are illegal. Even if you’re not on the National Do Not Call Registry, you’re protected by laws that prohibit robocalls, unless you give written consent, or calls are for polling, political, or emergency reasons.

It’s time to stop the calls, through new technology, sharper teeth on Do Not Call regulations, and, if needed, new laws. The issue is the latest of Sen. Chuck Schumer’s pet projects, and this one is particularly important, as it can improve our daily lives.

The Federal Trade Commission and the Federal Communications Commission have oversight. Ever since the FTC started the Do Not Call Registry in 2003, it has tried to keep up with scam artists, who seem to stay one step ahead. The FTC has sued, and companies have been ordered to pay $419 million. But the FTC collected only $24 million, because companies don’t have the funds.

The best way to beat the robocallers is to match their technology with better technology. The winner of a 2013 FTC competition, a Huntington company called Nomorobo, can identify and block illegal telemarketing and robocalls. It’s a service used by 420,000 customers nationwide. There are cellphone apps that work similarly. But some phone companies have resisted the new technology, in part due to concerns that they’re supposed to connect every call. Regulators say the technology is legal. The companies must come on board now and make blocking and filtering technology easy to access and free to customers. Officials must be aware of concerns, like privacy and whether “good” calls are blocked, but those issues shouldn’t get in the way.

Beyond that, lawmakers should analyze regulations to see what should be changed and what needs to be strengthened. Regulators must be given the power to do everything they can. And entrepreneurs must be encouraged to innovate, so technology continues to change the game. The calls must end.— The editorial board

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