Security expert and president of CMIT Solutions of Capitol Hill, Anne Morrison, gave an interview and explained what Robocalls are and how we can avoid them. Two years ago, in 2017, 5% of all calls were identified as robocalls. In 2018, the percentage rose to 30% and this year, it is expected to make up 50% of all calls.
Robocalls are phone calls that deliver pre-recorded messages. These calls are often linked to political campaigns or telemarketing. According to Morrison, it's not easy to avoid robocalls, but there are steps you can take to reduce them.
What can we do, then, to reduce Robocalls?
1. Blocking unknown and persistent numbers
The simplest way to avoid robocalls is to ignore these calls and not answer them. However, because these calls are annoying, even if you don’t answer, you can choose to block these numbers.
2. Use the “Do Not Disturb” service
If the above method is not effective, you can use a service such as “Do Not Disturb” offered by the iPhone. This service, in essence, does not display notifications for incoming calls from specific numbers. It is something like a filterthat allows you to receive calls only from people you know, or only from your saved contacts.
3. Do not do what they ask you to do on the phone
If you answer a suspicious call, do not respond to the requests of potential scammers. For example, do not press any buttonthey ask you to. The best thing to do is to hang up immediately as soon as you realize that it is an unwanted call. It is also very important to be careful about what you say. Scammers oftenuse robocalls to trick you. They can ask questions that sound very natural, as if they were being said by a human. For example, they may say: “Can you hear me?” and if you answer “Yes”, this can be recorded and used at another time to commit phone fraud.
4. Search for apps that block robocalls
There are many companies, such as T-Mobile, Sprint, Verizon, and AT&T, that offer appsthat block known spam numbers and flag some as suspicious. This can greatly reduce the number of unwanted calls you receive.
These days, threats are many and not limited to computers and networks. Phones are also vulnerable, so we all need to be careful.
