Finding a way to slow those annoying robocalls

Published 6:31 pm Tuesday, March 21, 2017

There’s nothing I use more in my life than my cell phone. As sad as that statement is, it’s an integral part of my every day routine — I use it for work, I use it to keep up with family and friends and most importantly, I can even view my terrible NCAA Tournament picks on it. Many even use their phone to pay for their groceries and to keep up with all their bills.

That’s why nothing is more annoying than receiving dozens of calls from recordings asking if I’d like to sign up for a security system or saying that my car warranty had run out. I’m not talking about one call a day. I’m talking 10 to 12, one after the other, from numbers from all over the United States.

I even received one a couple of weeks ago from an Alabama number while I was on the other line. I called it back and was on a recording with what I assume was a fake radio station, where all I had to do was answer three music themed questions correctly, and I’d win a cruise. My guess is that staying on the line would’ve cost me a fortune. The call is likely a pay per minute scam, where callers pay a lot of money for staying on the phone.

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As a reporter, it’s normal for me to get calls from numbers not saved in my phone and the last thing I want to do is block a legitimate person from calling me., so I always call them back.

Unfortunately, most of the numbers just hang up when you call them and even if you do get a recording, it hangs up after you ask to talk to a real person.

What’s funny is that a few years ago we all hated getting calls from telemarketers — actual people soliciting us on the phone.

At this point, I wouldn’t mind hearing an actual human trying to sell me something on the other line. And yes, I can file that under sentences I never thought I’d type.

Since what I’ve been receiving are robocalls, I can’t ask a real person they take me off their call list and even if I block the number, they just call from another one the next day.

I can’t be the only person receiving these kinds of calls, although I think I have been receiving them at a higher rate than most people.

Finally, I think I found a solution. Last month, I went onto the Federal Communications website and registered for the Do Not Call List, which is available at www.donotcall.gov. Within 31 days, the list is supposed to ensure that people no longer receive one of these calls.

It’s been about three weeks since I registered and almost all of the random calls have stopped. I’ve received four over the last seven days, which is well down from what I was receiving.

Anyone interested in registering for the DNC list can also call 1-888-382-1222 from the number you want to register. I encourage anyone dealing with robocalls to do so.