Thread: FTC, ENTREPRENEURS HUNG UP ON PUTTING END TO ROBOCALLS

FTC, ENTREPRENEURS HUNG UP ON PUTTING END TO ROBOCALLS

Software developer shares prize for system to thwart phone spam

By Claudia Buck The Sacramento Bee 12:01 a.m.Oct. 8, 2013

Memo to robocallers: They’re out to stop you.

Whether pitching a product or trying to foist a scam, illegal telemarketing and robocalls are a persistent problem. But efforts to cut off the irritating calls are on the rise, from lawsuits to landline tools to cellphone applications.

Last week, one of the newest entrants in the battle launched nationwide. Called Nomorobo.com, it’s the brainchild of a Long Island software developer who shared a $50,000 prize from the Federal Trade Commission for the best tech solution to thwart telephone spam.

The FTC, which has been deluged by a growing mountain of complaints from U.S. consumers, is only too happy to welcome the new weapons in the war on robocalls.

“We’re aware of, and extremely pleased, that potential technological solutions to help consumers block unwanted, illegal robocalls are making their way to the marketplace,” said FTC spokeswoman Kati Daffan. “This is exactly why we launched our Robocall Challenge last year.”

Other tech tools are focused on smartphones with applications — many of which are free — that let you block known spam callers and do reverse lookups of suspect numbers. Among the free versions are Mr. Number, a Palo Alto-based company, for Android phones, and CallControl in Bellevue, Wash., for Android and Blackberry phones. Like other smartphone apps, they rely on “crowd-sourced” lists of spam phone numbers, which are reported and shared by fellow users.

And for the first time, Apple’s recently issued operating system, iOS 7, lets iPhone users block unwanted calls.

Clearly, there’s a demand for solutions. Every month, the FTC fields about 178,500 consumer complaints about telemarketing and automated robocalls.

The National Do Not Call Registry, which lets consumers sign up their home phones and cellphones, helps block most — but not all — telemarketing calls. As of June 2013, the DNC’s 10th anniversary, there were more than 221 million numbers registered.

“DNC has been extremely successful when it comes to legitimate telemarketers,” said the FTC’s Daffan, whose agency oversees the registry. “Legitimate companies scrub their lists against the DNC registry and do refrain from calling.”

It’s the bad guys who are the problem. The Do Not Call Registry has been swamped by complaints about calls that sneak through.

The FTC last year turned to the private sector, announcing its Robocall Challenge contest, seeking entrepreneurs to come up with solutions.

Since Nomorobo was announced in April as a co-winner of the FTC’s contest, nearly 23,500 consumers signed up to be included in its launch.

http://www.utsandiego.com/news/2013/oct/08/tp-ftc-entrepreneurs-hung-up-on-putting-end-to/

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