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Fighting off Robocalls - Top 3 Tech Tricks

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Anna Thompson
Fighting off Robocalls - Top 3 Tech Tricks

Using technology to fight off robocalls is one of the best and smartest way to go about it. Yes, there is new legislation that telecom providers to block illegal and unwanted calls before they reach consumers. However, it will take time to be implemented fully and that is why we need to be protecting ourselves and not wait for others to do.

So let’s find out what are our options!

The simplest and safest approach

Yes, we are going to tackle different high tech tricks. However, one that is almost bulletproof and that always works is while still techy easy to use by all generations. Step one - hang up the phone if you see an unknown number or a blocked one. You are not obliged to answer. Step two - find out who’s calling. You can use a reverse phone lookup search and get the data on the caller in just a few moments. This fast and secure and you will not have to deal with anyone you don’t want to.

 

 So, if the phone call is important you will be calling them back in just a few short moments, but if it is a robocall or a phone scam you will be reporting them just a quick thus keeping yourself and others safe. Now, it is important to remind you that The commission says the "Do Not Call" registry works for legal robocalls, but an estimated 47% of robocalls are illegal. Many who are on this registry might feel safe answering the phone, but as you can see statistics are against you and that is why the above-explained quick method is still the best.

Get to know your app options

You might think that using apps for robocall protection is the safest way to go and while yes, you will experience a significant decrease in the calls reaching your phone there is a significant downside to these apps. According to Dan Hastings, a senior security consultant at cybersecurity firm NCC Group - “Truecaller and Hiya uploaded device data — device type, model and software version, among other things — before a user could accept their privacy policies. Those apps, said Hastings, violate Apple’s app guidelines on data use and sharing, which mandate that app makers first obtain permission before using or sending data to third-parties. Many of the other apps aren’t much better. Several other apps that Hastings tested immediately sent some data to Facebook as soon as the app loaded.”

 

“Without having a technical background, most end users aren’t able to evaluate what data is actually being collected and sent to third parties,” said Hastings. “Privacy policies are the only way that a non-technical user can evaluate what data is collected about them while using an app.”

 

So you can use apps like Truecaller and Hiya but as long as you are aware of the dangers. These are of course not the only apps available. Many more, both free and paid do the same thing, so read the terms of use carefully or be ready to share your data with a third party.

Feel free to contact your phone provider for help

So, first thing’s first, you answer the phone and hear a recorded sales pitch, hang up and report it to the FTC. These calls are illegal, and often the products are bogus. Don’t press 1 to speak to a person or to be taken off the list. That could lead to more calls. You need to be in touch with your phone service providers and to pressure them to do at the latest part of the work for you.



They are now allowed to by law to not let most of the robocalls and spam calls through to you, and you should make sure that they do their part. While consumers can buy software like Hiya and YouMail to help weed out the billions of robocalls that Americans collectively receive each month on cellphones, this new legislation thrusts the responsibility on service providers to block those calls from ever reaching consumers.



Remember, technology makes it easy for scammers to fake caller ID information, so the name and number you see aren’t always real. If someone calls asking for money or personal information, hang up. If you think the caller might be telling the truth, call back to a number you know is genuine.



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