Are you one of the many people dealing with annoying robocalls?
Tremyl Proctor of Silver Springs, who was a telemarketer years ago, finds herself on the other end of those dreadful calls.
“I just let it ring. It’s just too much. I can’t manage those calls and work at the same time. It’s really very bothersome,” Proctor said.
This week, the Federal Trade Commission and other law enforcement partners nationwide — including attorneys general from all 50 states and D.C. — announced a new crackdown on illegal telemarketing targeting operations responsible for billions of calls to consumers.
The joint state and federal “Operation Stop Scam Calls” builds on the efforts of Maryland and other state and federal partners to combat the scourge of illegal telemarketing, including robocalls.
The initiative targets telemarketers and the companies that hire them, as well as lead generators who deceptively collect and provide consumers’ telephone numbers to robo callers and others, falsely representing that these consumers have consented to receive calls.
It also targets the Voice over Internet Protocol (VoIP) service providers facilitating tens of billions of illegal robocalls every year, most of which originate overseas.
Maryland Attorney General Anthony G. Brown said illegal telemarketers are relentless intruders determined to invade the privacy of Marylanders.
“These robocalls often connect Maryland consumers who pick up the phone and engage the caller,” Brown said.
Brown told WTOP it would take more than lawsuits to stop the problem.
“It’s a matter of keeping up with the changing technology, the changing tactics of illegal rob callers and the third-party companies that enable them,” Brown said.
But will it be enough?
“Well, there’s always room for improvement,” Brown said. “Making sure that our regulations are staying up to date, our enforcement activities are staying up-to-date and that we are adequately educating the public to safeguard their private information.”
He recommends that Marylanders keep their phone numbers private, register with the do not call registry and limit access to their phone numbers by making it unlisted.
