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
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.
http://www.nbcdfw.com/news/tech/Consumer-Reports-Devices-to-Stop-Robocalls-321292271.html
Legislation and calls to action
https://consumersunion.org/end-robocalls/