Consumer Alert
FTC to voice service provider: give the robocalls a rest
Image
Tired of getting endless robocalls? We are too. Robocalls aren’t just a pain to get, they’re often pushing scams for things like fake auto warranties and debt relief. But scammy robocallers can’t do it alone. That’s why the FTC is taking action against Stratics Networks, a company that supplied the technology for telemarketers to make tens of millions of robocalls. But that’s not all — the FTC is also suing the debt relief companies that hired Stratics to make robocalls for their illegal debt relief services.
The FTC says that Stratics delivered illegal robocalls for a variety of telemarketers promoting offers for things like credit card and student debt relief, home buying, health insurance, cable TV discounts, and for telemarketers playing on concerns about the COVID-19 pandemic. Many robocalls were “ringless voicemails” — where your phone doesn’t ring but you get a voicemail with a robocall message.
Here’s what to know: a robocall trying to sell you something is illegal unless the company has your written permission to call you that way. Scammers use robocalls to get your money or your personal information so they can steal your identity. They might try to convince you the call is from the government, tech support, or your auto warranty company. Don’t buy it. Even if the name or number on the caller ID looks real, it could’ve been faked.
If you get an illegal robocall:
- Hang up or delete the voicemail. Don’t press any number or call back.
- Get call blocking and call labeling apps or services. This will help you get fewer robocalls.
- Report it. Tell the FTC at DoNotCall.gov.
Watch this video about robocalls:
Share this video using the links in the player above or use the YouTube version.
Learn more at ftc.gov/robocalls.
Search Terms
Topics
It is your choice whether to submit a comment. If you do, you must create a user name, or we will not post your comment. The Federal Trade Commission Act authorizes this information collection for purposes of managing online comments. Comments and user names are part of the Federal Trade Commission’s (FTC) public records system, and user names also are part of the FTC’s computer user records system. We may routinely use these records as described in the FTC’s Privacy Act system notices. For more information on how the FTC handles information that we collect, please read our privacy policy.
The purpose of this blog and its comments section is to inform readers about Federal Trade Commission activity, and share information to help them avoid, report, and recover from fraud, scams, and bad business practices. Your thoughts, ideas, and concerns are welcome, and we encourage comments. But keep in mind, this is a moderated blog. We review all comments before they are posted, and we won’t post comments that don’t comply with our commenting policy. We expect commenters to treat each other and the blog writers with respect.
We don't edit comments to remove objectionable content, so please ensure that your comment contains none of the above. The comments posted on this blog become part of the public domain. To protect your privacy and the privacy of other people, please do not include personal information. Opinions in comments that appear in this blog belong to the individuals who expressed them. They do not belong to or represent views of the Federal Trade Commission.
Hello ftc.gov admin, Your posts are always well organized and easy to understand.
This is ridiculous I have to get unknown calls sometimes, I should not have to block all numbers, just because you can't stop robocalls. Stop this insanity, no one ever answers there phone anymore because 90% of calls are this. I am a Doctor and can never reach a pt due to this. It is beyond stupid. I have to take calls from all over that I do not recognize. The answer to block unknown is unacceptable.