Robocalls: Threats, Complaints, and How to Stop Them
This paper examines the growing problem of robocalls—automated, computer-generated phone calls—and their impact on consumers and regulators. It presents complaint data showing robocall volumes more than doubling between 2013 and 2017, and identifies the most common fraud categories, including interest-rate scams, credit card fraud, and fake IRS calls. The paper also discusses the challenges regulators face in curbing robocalls, such as number spoofing and cross-network call routing, and evaluates a range of practical solutions available to phone users, from blocking individual numbers and using carrier tools to third-party apps and the National Do Not Call Registry.
- Introduction to Robocalls: Definition, prevalence, and scale of robocalls
- Rising Complaints and Complaint Data: FTC complaint trends from 2013 to 2017
- How Robocallers Try to Defraud You: Top fraud categories by call volume in 2018
- Challenges in Regulating Robocalls: Why existing rules fail to stop robocallers
- Recommended Solutions for Consumers: Apps, carrier tools, and registry options
- Conclusion: Best individual strategy for avoiding robocalls
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What makes this paper effective
- It grounds its argument in concrete data—complaint statistics from the FTC and volume estimates from YouMail—making abstract claims about the robocall problem immediately tangible.
- The use of tabular data to present both complaint trends and fraud categories by type and volume adds credibility and allows readers to quickly compare figures across years and scam types.
- The solutions section is well-organized and practical, moving from simple individual actions (blocking numbers) to more systemic options (carrier tools, registry enrollment), giving readers a clear hierarchy of responses.
Key academic technique demonstrated
This paper demonstrates the problem-solution essay structure effectively. It establishes the scope of a public issue using quantitative evidence, identifies the reasons existing responses have fallen short, and then systematically proposes and explains a range of remedies. This structure is a standard technique in applied policy and technology writing and models how evidence should precede and motivate recommended actions.
Structure breakdown
The paper opens with a definition and context for robocalls, followed by a section presenting complaint trend data in tabular form. A second data table details specific fraud categories. The paper then addresses regulatory challenges before pivoting to a structured list of consumer-facing solutions, ranked roughly from partial to more comprehensive. A brief concluding recommendation closes the argument.
Introduction to Robocalls
Robocalls are automated, computer-generated phone calls whose mass-conveyed messages play automatically whenever a recipient answers. These messages take many forms, including appointment reminders and political announcements. In the current era of extensive mobile phone usage—where mobile phones are deemed indispensable and virtually every individual possesses one—robocallers follow people everywhere, interrupting activities such as church services, important business meetings, and family dinners (Kefford & Power, 2014).
While automated phone calls are not a new problem, the volume of such calls has risen steeply in recent years. YouMail, a robocall-blocking company that also analyzes call traffic, reports that approximately 3.4 billion unwanted calls harassed users in April 2017 alone—a monthly increase of nearly 900 million compared to the previous year (Pal, 2017).
This escalation has drawn the attention of federal policymakers, with both Senate and House members convening to investigate the matter. Both chambers have passed or introduced legislation aimed at curbing abuses. Federal regulatory bodies have also issued new rules authorizing phone companies to block certain categories of robocalls (Kefford & Power, 2014).
Consumer Bankers Association and other business groups have argued that an overly broad definition of auto-dialers would harm legitimate businesses that need to reach their clients through automated systems.
Rising Complaints and Complaint Data
Complaints related to scammers and telemarketers have grown steadily, with robocalls identified in the majority of reported cases. The table below illustrates the trend in robocaller versus live-caller complaints over a five-year period:
Federal regulators have also received a growing number of formal complaints. The Federal Trade Commission, which oversees the Do Not Call Registry, reports that 4.5 million robocall-related complaints were filed in 2017—more than twice the 2.18 million complaints recorded four years earlier (Hibbard, 2014).
How Robocallers Try to Defraud You
The following table presents estimates of the top telephone scam categories recorded in March 2018, illustrating the scale of fraudulent robocall activity:
These data clearly reveal that robocalls cost the public considerable sums of money and indicate the urgent need for an effective solution. Moreover, it is apparent that efforts across multiple public domains to control the growth of robocall frequency have so far proven inadequate (Hibbard, 2014).
Conclusion
The best solution to the robocall problem is not answering calls from unknown sources or numbers not appearing on one's caller ID. Any call of genuine importance will be followed by the caller leaving a voicemail, which allows the recipient to return the call at their convenience (Hibbard, 2014).
References
Hibbard, M. G. (2014). Hanging up too early: Remedies to reduce robocalls. Case W. Res. JL Tech. & Internet, 5, 79.
Kefford, G., & Power, L. (2014). Robo-call usage by Australian political parties: The case of the. Communication, Politics & Culture, 47(1), 1.
Pal, M. (2017). Canadian election administration on trial: 'Robocalls', Opitz and disputed elections in the courts. King's Law Journal, 28(2), 324–342.
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