4.5 billion robocalls were made in June 2018. That's nearly 18 spam calls for every person.
Statistically speaking, it is very likely you have received a robocall on your smartphone. If so, you have probably wondered, “Why do I receive robocalls? What can I do about them?”
Receiving an unwanted robocall, especially one that is illegal, can be a jarring experience. Whether it be the design of the phone scam, the robotic audio-message, or the sheer confusion as to how this caller got your number, it's all very unpleasant.
At Robokiller, we've become very good at developing a solution to stop unwanted robocalls before they attack. However, before you can become a robocall-killing expert, it is important first to learn why you receive robocalls in the first place.
In this post, you will learn:
A robocall is one of many types of phone calls that are considered spam. Spam is defined as irrelevant or inappropriate messages sent to a large number of recipients—typically who have not expressed interest in receiving such communication.
Robocalls differ from most spam and telemarketing calls primarily because they are auto-dialed from a computer and deliver a prerecorded message, as if from a robot.
Robocalls are often designed to enable interaction from the recipient, either through voice or keypad input or through transfer to an agent or representative. Though it is true that some types of robocalls are legal, such as political robocalls, the unfortunate reality is that most robocalls are either illegal, fraudulent, or both.
To make matters worse, a vast majority of illicit robocalls originate from overseas where it is difficult for government organizations to identify and reprimand offenders. Because illegal robocallers know there’s a high likelihood they will not get caught, they pose a danger to all consumers nationwide. These callers have nothing to lose, meaning they have regard for the law or your well-being and will stop at absolutely nothing to steal from you.
The best, most-effective solution to stop robocalls on your smartphone is to download a third party robocall blocker app in the Apple App Store. Both Apple and the FTC recommend robocall blocker apps because they were developed specifically to combat unwanted robocalls and spam calls. We highly recommend you use Robokiller as the app to combat unwanted robocalls and spam calls.
Beyond offering the most effective spam call protection, real-time caller identification, and block/allow list functionality, Robokiller is the only third-party robocall blocker app that allows you to take the fight to robocallers by using robots of your own! Robokiller’s Answer Bots, hilarious recordings that answer your spam calls for you, keep spam callers on the phone for hours — draining their time, financial resources, and confidence.
Though it is effortless for nearly anyone to place robocalls to any phone number anywhere in the world, the inner workings of robocalls are quite intricate. There are many hoops that illegal robocallers must jump through in the phone network and with carriers to ensure they do not get caught.
The technology fueling robocalls allows for a cheap and sustainable business model for scammers around the world without getting caught. In fact, each year, spammers spend an average of $438 million and make a return of roughly $9.5 billion. That's a 2,069% profit margin!
Here is how a robocall works, according to the Federal Trade Commission.
Thanks to caller ID spoofing, a technology that allows you to place calls using a caller ID that is not your own, and Voice Over Internet Protocol (VoIP) Services, scammers can send millions of illegal robocalls without ever revealing their true identity. You can thank the undeniably attractive economics of scam calls, coupled with a low barrier to entry for the growing issue.
There are many ways that your phone number can become a target of robocalls, but it is also very likely that your number was auto-dialed at random. A good way to check if your phone numbers are publicly available is to search for them in Google or other search engines. You may find that your phone number is associated with social media profiles that are accessible to the public and easily scraped by call list collection companies.
Though it is possible that your information may have been scraped from the internet, in many instances, there is no method to the madness—your phone number is dialed at random. Many times, spam calls are placed in immense volume with little strategy or approach to the phone numbers called.
In these circumstances, the first call to the phone number is typically placed only to identify if it is an active phone number. Spam texting is also used to flag active mobile phone numbers by sending a spam text message that allows users to text “STOP” if they no longer wish to receive texts. If you reply, then congratulations, you have just subscribed yourself to more spam calls! If the caller is unsuccessful in scamming or selling their product to the victim during their first attempt, the phone number is flagged as “try again.” The result of receiving more spam calls from the spammer behind them is due to either the call recipient engaging with the caller, dialing a number to “opt out,” or requesting to be removed from the call list. For this reason, it is imperative to avoid answering or engaging with unfamiliar calls as frequently as possible.
There are many recommended solutions to help stop the flood of unwanted robocalls from reaching your phone. However, the unfortunate reality is that many solutions either have not adapted to scammers’ innovative technological tricks or were never truly designed to stop robocalls.
Because of this, the most effective solution to stop robocalls on your smartphone is to download a robocall blocker app. Robocall blocker apps are the most effective solution to dealing with your robocall problem because they were designed with one goal—to stop spam calls at the source.
Not only do robocall blocker apps let you determine what calls you believe to be spam (spam calls can come from people you know, too!), they create a nationally sourced database of prominent phone scammers and phone criminals. If every single mobile phone owner used a robocall blocker app such as Robokiller, you would know exactly who was a spam caller every time the phone rang. Spam and robocallers would have nowhere to hide!
There are a few robocall blocker apps out there on the Google Play or Apple App Stores. Many are free apps that provide limited call blocking services and spam protection. Other call blocker apps are paid subscriptions, of which typically include more extensive functionality in managing and permanently stopping your robocall problem.
When deciding whether or not to purchase a call blocker app or download a free one, our advice is simple: You get what you pay for.
If you would like to get your feet wet by trying a free app first, then it is realistic to expect limited protection from robocalls and spam calls. If you have ever been a target or fallen victim to phone scams, you understand there is no price for a sense of security when you answer the phone. Therefore, we recommend purchasing an app to provide the tools you need to stop your robocall problem.
When evaluating a robocall blocker app that best fits your needs, take a look at each app’s compatibility with both your smartphone’s operating system (Android or iOS) and phone service carrier (Verizon, AT&T, T-Mobile). Many times, apps may only support iOS or Android or have challenges with pre-paid phone carriers due to technological barriers. Make sure to look for compatibility for both operating systems and phone carriers in the app description on the Google Play or Apple App Store or by researching on the robocall blocker app’s website.
Robokiller is the only robocall blocker app that allows you to take the fight to robocallers and scammers. Beyond offering the most effective spam call protection, real-time caller identification, and block/allow list functionality, Robokiller also allows you to get revenge on spam callers using Answer Bots, hilarious pre-recordings that keep spam callers on the phone for hours. What better way to fight robocalls than with robocalls?!
Robokiller is a secure investment to ensure your privacy and personal information is protected from annoying spam calls. Join the fight to stop spammers for good, all while enjoying a spam call free smartphone!
