Robocalls are automated, computer-generated phone calls. Their mass-conveyed messages are played automatically whenever a phone user takes the call. Robocall messages are of various kinds, including appointment reminders and political messages. In the current era of extensive mobile phone usage, where mobile phones are deemed indispensable and virtually every individual possesses one, robocallers follow individuals everywhere, interrupting activities like church service, important business meets, and dinner, to name a few (Kefford & Power 2014). While automated phone calls are no new menace, of late, the quantity of such calls has risen steeply. YouMail, a robocall blocking company that also analyzes phone calls, claims approximately 3.4 billion such unwanted calls harassed users in April 2017 – a growth of nearly 900 million, monthly, as compared to the previous year (Pal, 2017).

This escalation has been noted by federal policymakers, with Senate as well as House members convening to investigate the matter, and both chambers passing or introducing laws for curbing abuses. Furthermore, federal regulatory bodies have issued fresh rules authorizing phone companies to block particular robocalls (Kefford & Power 2014).

In spite of the above efforts, robocalls prove challenging to tackle as they are able to travel...

Take, for instance, the “neighborhood spoofing” ploy, where robocallers employ local numbers, hoping recipients will more likely take the call (Kefford & Power 2014).
Consumer Bankers Association and other business groups argue that an overly broad definition of auto-dialers would prove injurious to legitimate businesses which attempt at reaching their clients.

The information outlined below depicts phone users’ robocall-related complaints.

Rising Complaints

Of late, complaints pertaining to scammers and telemarketers have grown at a steady rate, with robocalls detected in most instances.

year

Robocaller

Live caller

2013

2.2 M

1.5 M

2014

1.7 M

1.4 M

2015

2.1 M

1.4 M

2016

3.4 M

1.9 M

2017

4.5 M

2.6 M

In addition, federal regulators have…