Did you hear Van play back a robocall on the air recently? Like many people, I figured ignoring a robocall was the best way to avoid being ANNOYED by a robocall. However, recent robocalls in Iowa are LEAVING A VOICEMAIL. It's often in Chinese - apparently because of the large Chinese population in Iowa. A Chinese listener recently called in to Van & Bonnie and translated the message on-the-air.
So where does it end. I recently told you that the Federal Trade Commission had levied big fines against some robocall companies for violating the Do Not Call registry but many of your replied (correctly, I believe) that these companies would just come back under different names.
So Congress MAY get involved. But what can lawmakers do? So fari, there's been no effective legislation to end the problem.
Senator Chuck Schumer says since January 1st, New York City and Long Island have been hit with over 720 million robocalls, including scammers from overseas who call overnight. That’s why he’s introducing bi-partisan legislation known as the TRACED Act, that gives federal agencies the tools and authority to trace, prosecute and enforce fines against robocall scammers.
The senator says the legislation is needed because the federal "Do Not Call" rules are ineffective. Americans received 47-point-7 billion robocalls in 2018, a 57 percent increase over the number of calls the year before. The bill calls for 10-thousand dollar fines per call.