Bye Bye Telemarketers! NY Attorney General Cracking Down on Non Stop Robocalls
Will there soon be an end to those annoying robocalls that seem to never end?
New York Attorney General Letitia James has launched a bipartisan Anti-Robocall Litigation Taskforce with 50 Attorney Generals to crack down on the more than 33 million robocalls every single day. "Our task force is going to dial up our efforts to block these unwanted calls and protect consumers nationwide."
Thank GOD! It seems like half of those 33 million daily calls come to my phone. It's always at the worst possible time - during dinner, in the middle of a meeting, or in the middle of the night. And it's usually about my car warranty.
But will something actually be done this time? We've heard the old 'cracking down on robocalls' before. First, it was the Do Not Call registry that allows anyone to 'opt-out' of receiving calls. Then, Governor Andrew Cuomo signed the Nuisance Call Act into law in 2019 to better protect New Yorkers. Governor Kathy Hochul even signed a new law that builds on federal action earlier this year. But those dang calls keep coming.
Telemarketers are more than just an annoyance. "They are used to scam seniors and defraud consumers," said James. "Last year, about $29.8 billion was stolen through scam calls."
The Attorney General's office offers tips to identify and avoid robocall scams.
- Beware of callers asking for payment in form of gift cards, wire transfers, or cryptocurrency
- Look out for pre-recorded calls from people posing as being from a government agency
- Hang up if you suspect a scam
- Never give out personal information
You can report a scam and file a complaint with the Attorney General's office. Just fill out the Consumer Frauds Bureau Online Complaint Form online.