Call-Blocking Technology!

Have you ever been in the middle of something and gotten a call from a number you didn’t know? Have you answered the phone only to realize it’s not even a person on the other side of the line? Are you tired of listening to prerecorded messages trying to sell you something from telemarketing companies that you want nothing to do with? Every year thousands of people deal with the same issue as you, but change may be coming!

Until now, telemarketers have been using any access to your phone number as consent to call you, and there seemed to be little anyone could do about it. Fortunately, thanks to the hard work of Attorney General Bob Ferguson, along with 44 other attorneys general, the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) has reached the conclusion that telephone carriers DO have the right to offer call blocking technology that could eliminate those pesky robocalls.

A letter was sent out to AT&T, Sprint, Verizon, T-Mobile, and CenturyLink urging them to give their customers the power to control access to their phones by offering this technology. Because of this, consider following up with your telephone carrier in the near future, since they may have the solution to preventing robocalls permanently. Click here to see what Attorney General Bob Ferguson had to say to your phone carriers.

If your phone carrier does not yet offer this service, here are a few steps that you can take if you feel that you are getting harassed by robocalls:

1. Get on the Do Not Call Registry. Not only is it free and simple, it also makes it illegal for telemarketers to call your house.
2. File a Complaint! Are you still getting the calls? It’s time to file a formal complaint with the Federal Trade Commission (FTC). It’s only through sharing your voice that agencies like the FTC or AGO know that change is needed.
3. Keep Your Number Private. The more people that you give out your number to, the easier it is for people to reach you via robocalls. The best way to avoid this is to make it so that only people you trust have access to your contact information.

You can also file a consumer complaint with the Attorney General’s Office here: /file-complaint