10 THINGS YOU CAN DO TO AVOID ROBOCALLS

You and Lady Gaga likely feel the same way about this one… ”Stop telephonin’ me / Stop telephonin’ me / I’m busy / I’m busy”…

From a LinkedIn Daily Run Down: “Robocalls have reached an all-time high. An estimated 3.4 billion automated scam calls were made to Americans last month — over 900 million a month more than the same time last year. Lawmakers are working to address the jump, with both the House and Senate holding hearings in recent weeks. Both chambers of Congress have also introduced or passed legislation aiming to stem the tide of such calls. In March, however, an appeals court weakened part of the FCC’s efforts to tackle robocalls, saying its definition of “auto dialer” was too broad.”

It won’t stop them completely, but to ward them off, here are 10 things you can do from the comfort of your own home to beat back the ‘bot attack:

(1) Ensure your service provider has your number unlisted – remember this especially when you’re moving and setting up new service.

(2) Use the “Block Call” feature on your smart phone when a caller is found to be an unwanted solicitor.

(3) Ask your provider what services they offer specific to avoiding robocalls.

(4) Use a third-party software/service such as Nomorobo, Sentry Active Call Blocker, or CenturyLink’s “No Solicitation” service.

(5) Install equipment to your landline phone system, such as Call Control Home.

(6) Download an app to your cell phone, such Truecaller, RoboKiller, Mr. Number, Nomorobo, Hiya, or YouMail, to increase your protection.

(7) Sign up for the National Do Not Call Registry at www.donotcall.gov, or call 1-888-382-1222 from the phone number you want to register. Report to the registry numbers that you receive that are unwanted.

(8) Don’t answer unfamiliar calls.

(9) Don’t follow the robocaller’s directions to be removed from the list, it allows them to know it’s an active number and may lead to more calls.

(10) Set up your service to reject anonymous callers if you aren’t concerned about missing known callers who have their numbers blocked for privacy reasons.

Enjoy the silence.