Today we have an unusual material - this is a translation of an article about illegal automatic calls in the United States. From time immemorial, there have been people who used technology not for good, but to fraudulently cash in on gullible citizens. Modern telecommunications is no exception, spam or frank "divorces" can overtake us by SMS, mail, telephone. It has become even more fun with phones, since today there are automatic calls (hereinafter referred to as robocalls). Invented as a legitimate and transparent way to inform people and make additional sales, they are very fond of scammers; if normal robocalls occur by agreement of the parties and the client phone numbers themselves are obtained legally, then illegal calls at least disturb people in vain, and at the most they steal data and money. We came up with , "corporation of kindness" sculpts Google Duplex, etc. - high-tech tools are bringing cyberpunk closer at the speed of light, because soon we will no longer be able to understand who is talking to us, a robot or a person. There are great opportunities and equally big troubles in this. Our company is categorically against any illegal actions and believes that technology should help both business and customers on a compromise basis. Alas, not everyone shares these values, so under the cut you will learn about the record fine for illegal calls, statistics on calls in the US, tools to deal with such calls, and, of course, recommendations on how to behave. Because forewarned is forearmed.
Soon half of the calls will be from robots. Tip: don't answer (?)
The IRS is going to arrest you for tax evasion. The collector demands payment immediately. The hotel chain offers free rest. You are going to turn off the electricity for non-payment. Your bank lowers your credit card interest rate or reports a security breach. The doctor wants to sell you pills for back pain at a reduced price.
In the Middle Ages, a plague descended on mankind. Today we were swallowed up by an epidemic of robocalls.
Every day, all day long, we are besieged by calls from scammers who want to steal our money and personal data. Even if you are not stupid and do not fall for schemes like:
- "recover credit card";
- take the last chance not to appear in court - for this you need to talk with a federal agent and get your case number;
- receive a free medical alert system, which is reported to you by a Los Angeles number;
- etc.
then in any case - the voice of the robot has already burst into your personal space.
Statistics
The number of unsolicited automated calls Americans receive has risen to 4 billion a month, or about 1543 calls per second. The percentage of fraudulent calls increased from 4 (in 2016) to 29 (in 2018); First Orion, which develops call blocking and control technology, predicts growth to .
“Scammers are finding more and more ways to violate our privacy,” says Charles Morgan, data scientist and company manager, at there is a phrase: "We know that it is a heroic mission to teach people to answer the phone again."
Automated calls are a big, lucrative business. Using technology for bad purposes is also profitable: Americans every year, according to Truecaller estimates. The elderly, students, small business owners and immigrants are at risk.
One recent scam targeted Chinese communities in the US and hit $3 million, according to the FTC. The Mandarin-speaking scammers posed as employees of the Chinese embassy and asked for personal data or credit card numbers to allegedly resolve some legal issues.
In the aftermath of hurricanes Harvey, Irma, Maria, and Florence, fake charitable foundations became active, making calls soliciting donations for hurricane victims.
In South Florida, where scams proliferate like rabbits, the volume of such calls is one of the largest in the country. Regions 305 and 954 combined came out in August by this indicator. Scammers say that if 1 potential victim is born every minute, then for South Florida this number is higher, because. this state is a real magnet for gullible lovers of quick money. If you live here, chances are you get at least 2 robocalls a day.
record
- Do you know Abramovich?
“The one that lives across from the prison?”
- Well, yes, only now he lives opposite his own house.
(joke)
Adrian Abramovich, businessman from Miami, , which describes his activities as "one of the biggest illegal phone calls we've ever investigated." Abramovich made over 100 million calls in the last three months of 2016, about 46000 calls per hour. As a callerID, he substituted Marriott, Expedia, Hilton and TripAdvisor to get people to buy "exclusive" tours. Victims heard the automatic “press 1” message, and if they did, they were transferred to the operators of a Mexican call center that paid Abramovich for traffic.
Adrian Abramovich is accused of deliberately creating one of the largest schemes for illegal phone calls
This activity also disrupted a medical company delivering urgent packages. “Allegedly, Abramovich could delay the delivery of vital medical assistance, and this is a matter of life and death,” said Ajit Pai, chairman of the Federal Communications Commission.
Government actions
The rapid growth of robocalls is due to the development of technology. The so-called "robotext" is also on the rise. If phones use the Internet, then scammers can make thousands of untraceable calls for a penny, very cheaply. “And if even a small percentage of people can be fooled, then the deceivers are still in the black,” says the CEO of the company. .
Consumer advocates worry that a new wave of unblocked calls is coming if the commission follows a court ruling that overturns regulations passed by the administration of the past US president. Legislators put forward draft laws (HANGUP Act, the ROBOCOP Act) and other measures, but the banking and credit industries are against these initiatives. Which is not surprising, because most of the automatic calls are made by banks and collectors, as well as scammers under the guise of insurers and creditors.
In the US, there is a Do Not Call Registry, which already has 230 million American numbers; the registry grew by 4,5 million entries last year. The registry was created to keep only legitimate telemarketing on the market, but the list is ignored by scammers. They are always one step ahead of the government because they change names and numbers (by physically or virtually moving abroad, for example). Thus, the real number is spoofed - the subscriber will think that he is being called from his region, with a recognizable regional prefix, which increases the chances of an answer. They also use threats like: "You will be detained by the local authorities because you are charged under 4 articles." In this case, scammers can determine that your number is working (even if you did not answer), and then sell the number to their "colleagues".
Recommendations
Want to avoid scams? Do not answer suspicious calls. If you have already answered, but you hear a recorded message, hang up. Don't press or say anything. Do not provide personal and financial information, do not agree to make money transfers. Be on the lookout for too-good offers, because scammers always have them.
If you are asked "can you hear me", do not answer "yes" because they can record your "yes" and use it against you. Of course, it can be tempting to talk to a scammer and pretend you've fallen for the bait, and then suddenly expose him, ha! But you better not do it.
Beware of calls from Apple or Windows support asking you to download a program that turns out to be a Trojan.
Be on the lookout if you have been informed of suspicious activity on your credit card - it is better to call the official number indicated on the credit card yourself and clarify everything again.
Don't be fooled by "free" gifts when asked to press 1 for details. The details will be the fact that you were fooled.
Fake calls from the tax office are easy to identify: the tax office never calls citizens with threats that they will put them in jail for tax evasion.
Any mention of Nigeria? Goodbye.
Instead of a conclusion
The automated call and telemarketing industries have spawned the call blocking/tracking industry. There are many applications for blocking calls - for example, - who pick up the phone, connect with the operator and play the recorded message ("Gotcha!"); another example - , which intercepts calls. Also have , which you can replenish or search for suspicious numbers in them. Telephone operators are also not standing on the sidelines, trying to find new ways to identify real numbers and flag fake ones.
“We've already blocked over 4 billion calls on our network,” says Kelly Starling, AT&T spokesperson for South Florida. – “We have learned to identify the sources of calls, block them, and also give our customers ».
Americans (I suspect that most people around the world - approx. translator) react to phones like Pavlov's dog - it was inevitable that they decided to take advantage of this. I guess the robocall epidemic gives you a good reason to just... turn off your phone.
Source: habr.com