Cellular Phone Robocalls, telemarketing and annoying calls and scams

Scope

This article refers mainly to cellular phones in the United States.

The problem

Spammers and scammers can purchased VoIP lines very inexpensively ...

http://consumersunion.org/end-robocalls/problems/

http://www.cbsnews.com/news/robocalls-are-ruining-more-dinners-every-day/

"... complicated mix of greed, technological advancement and laws that don't always discourage salespeople or scammers from calling. While the Do Not Call registry certainly keeps some consumers from getting pestered, the fact is that many telemarketers decide violating the law is worth the risk. Others are located overseas, where it's harder for the U.S. government to track them down and prosecute them."

See also

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mobile_phone_spam

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Caller_ID_spoofing

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Robocall

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/National_Do_Not_Call_Registry

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Voice_phishing

How to report it

FTC - https://www.consumer.ftc.gov/articles/0076-phone-scams

FCC - https://www.fcc.gov/stop-unwanted-calls

FBI - https://www.ic3.gov

Ways to combat robo and spam calls or text

• Block or screening the call on the cell phone itself if the caller-id is not spoofed. Many times it is.

https://www.nomorobo.com/

http://www.nbcdfw.com/news/tech/Consumer-Reports-Devices-to-Stop-Robocalls-321292271.html

Legislation and calls to action

https://consumersunion.org/end-robocalls/

http://www.theverge.com/2013/4/2/4174282/google-engineers-filter-robocalls-like-gmail-filters-spam-ftc

The Rogues

https://www.ftc.gov/news-events/press-releases/2015/06/ftc-florida-attorney-general-sue-stop-illegal-robocalls-pitching