Robocalls

If you have landline or cellular phone service, chances are you’ve already gotten some robocalls. A robocall is a term used to describe spam phone calls made from computer programs known as autodialers. These can range from infrequent nuisances, to frustratingly frequent calls that border on harassment.

A robocall is usually easy to identify because a recording will be playing when you pick up the phone. Often times they will be talking about selling insurance or something similar, or that your telephone/internet directory listing is out of date. They will often say “press 1 to talk to a representative, or press 2 to decline this offer”.

Unfortunately, these calls are very hard to block because it is fairly easy to anonymously spam landline and cellular phone customers using computer software. They are also hard to block because even if you block the number, the calls will continue to come in from random numbers in the future, and you may be blocking legitimate numbers that the spammers are “spoofing” or copying.

Can anything be done?

If you continue to be plagued by robocalls from one number or a few different numbers, you can file a complaint with the FCC. If you have NTD phone service, we have line feature called selective call rejection to block a handful of numbers, but please remember that the spammers could call from different numbers and this is not a perfect way to stop them.

For more information and tips about robocalls, or to file a complaint with the FCC, visit https://www.fcc.gov/consumers/guides/stop-unwanted-robocalls-and-texts