Federal, State Agencies Crack Down On Illegal Robocalls

Federal and state authorities across the country announced Tuesday a crackdown on illegal robocalls.

That includes nearly 100 targeted enforcement actions by federal, state and local law enforcement agencies.

Hoosiers reported losing more than $16 million from robocall scams last year. And Indiana Attorney General Curtis Hill says the actual money lost is likely greater.

“Because many of our most vulnerable citizens, the elderly – well, they don’t report their losses and often times they’re embarrassed, intimidated and many times they don’t even realize they’ve been scammed,” Hill says.

Andrew Smith leads the Federal Trade Commission’s Consumer Protection Bureau. He says the best thing for people to do when they hear a recorded sales pitch is just hang up.

“By pressing numbers to speak with a live operator or remove yourself from the list, you could be confirming that the number dialed is good, thereby subjecting yourself to yet more calls,” Smith says.

Smith says people should also block the numbers after they call and report those numbers to the FTC.