NASHVILLE, Tenn. (WTVF) — The Federal Communications Commission has shut down a company behind millions of illegal robocalls.
Consumer Investigator Jennifer Kraus says the head of the FCC said more action is on the way.
The agency just days ago ordered telecommunications companies to stop accepting robocall traffic from a company called Urth Access..
The FCC saw an increase in scam student loan debt relief robocalls after President Biden announced his plan to forgive these loans and FCC determined that the company Urth Access was behind a lot of those calls.
Now federal regulators plan to crack down on phone companies that do not meet the June deadline to implement new call authentication technology.
Most phone providers have already though adopted what's known as Stir-Shaken, a technology that can determine whether a call is real or not and it can stop calls from fake numbers.
Even so, it's estimated that Americans got some 4.5 billion robocalls just last month and that's why the chairwoman of the FCC says Congress needs to get involved.
"You know, in a day when a lot divides us, I think hatred of robocalls is one of those things that could unite us," Jessica Rosenworcel said.
Until then, here are some things you can do to protect yourself. If you get a call from a number you don't recognize-- don't answer it!
And remember, even though your caller ID may show the call's coming from a local number, that doesn't necessarily mean it's really a local caller -- it could be spoofed.
And to stop unwanted telemarketing calls -- make sure to register your phone number on the Do Not Call List.
You can do that by going to DoNotCall.gov.
The biggest thing to remember is that if someone calls you and is pressuring you for personal information or to send them money, be on the safe side and just hang up.
