Statement from Sen. Scott on robocall interim study

“Constituents have let me know for months that they are tired of the excessive robocalls that have gone from just being annoying to disrupting their daily lives. One constituent recently felt forced to change his cell phone number that he had for 40 years. Feeling forced to change your phone number should never be the solution.

Recently, after feeling the pressure from citizens and other government officials, the FCC voted to authorize carriers to address the robocall problem. After months of collaboration, the State Attorneys General and industry have produced 8 principles to help address this troubling issue. Below is a link to the principles as well as some steps to help you personally insolate yourself from these unsolicited calls.”

For more information on the principles: https://bit.ly/2P8qmmo.

How to Help Protect Yourself (Information provided by AT&T)
If you receive an unwanted phone call of any kind, including an unwanted robocall, don’t try to outsmart the bad guy by intentionally giving out wrong information. Just hang up. Do not call the number back, or call another number they give you, or press any numbers (or links in texts) that you may be instructed to press.
To help limit telemarketing calls from legitimate telemarketers, add your number to the National Do Not Call list https://www.donotcall.gov/
Scammers using robocalling technologies can be persistent and will look for ways to get their calls past evolving blocking technologies. Sometimes calling parties try to disguise their identity by using a telephone number that they are not really entitled to use, such as the number of a government agency or a legitimate business with whom you may have a relationship, or a telephone number that looks so much like yours that you might think it is a friend or neighbor calling. In this way they try to get you to answer the phone, and at the same time avoid technologies that would otherwise block the calling party’s real telephone number. This is called “spoofing.”

“In light of the recent action by the FCC, I will not be seeking a solution at the state level at this time. I will continue to watch this situation closely for a solution to this ever-growing problem.”