The FCC Has Fined Robocallers $208M, Collected $6,790 • Hacker News Board

Re: The FCC Has Fined Robocallers $208M, Collected $6,790

#171

Post by philipkglass » Sat, Nov 09, 2019, 8:59 PM UTC

smabie wrote: post #141

While robocalls are annoying, what's the moral justification for making this illegal? If a person is allowed to call you, why can't a computer? Also the line is getting blurred recently, so it seems like a problematic distinction at this point in time.

In context, people mean "illegitimate robocalls." Nobody is proposing to outlaw legitimate robocalls (like when a pharmacy makes an automated call to notify you that a prescription is ready.)

It's mostly illegal to make human or automated marketing calls to numbers in the US that have signed up for the national Do Not Call registry. The problem is that huge numbers of illegal calls still reach numbers on the Do Not Call registry. Most of these illegal calls have no connection to any real business; they are instead trying to defraud people. I have often been called by "Microsoft Support" to alert me to Windows problems that need fixing. I don't have any Windows computers.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/National_Do_Not_Call_Registry

Re: The FCC Has Fined Robocallers $208M, Collected $6,790

#172

Post by Ntrails » Sat, Nov 09, 2019, 9:00 PM UTC

BrentOzar wrote: post #166

tempsolution wrote: post #160

Calling is broken. I wished Apple would just add an option "Block all calls unless their number is in contacts". It's ridiculous that this option is only available in Do Not Disturb. It's like Apple was trying to somehow profit from robo-callers. It's time to put calls into the grave. The next step needs to be something like we have for websites. You need to get a personal SSL certificate to call and it will be bound…

> I wished Apple would just add an option "Block all calls unless their number is in contacts". They added it in iOS 13 under Settings, Phone, Silence Unknown Callers. "Calls from unknown numbers will be silenced, sent to voicemail, and displayed on the Recents list. Incoming calls will continue to ring from people in your contacts, recent outgoing calls, and Siri Suggestions."

Jfc the last thing i want is a fucking voicemail, to listen to the tortuous preamble of robo voice saying the source phone number before listening to that empty click.

Re: The FCC Has Fined Robocallers $208M, Collected $6,790

#173

Post by dmckeon » Sat, Nov 09, 2019, 9:01 PM UTC

wilg wrote: post #103

6gvONxR4sf7o wrote: post #78

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I tried it, and within a week I missed an important call. I was waiting by the phone, and it just never arrived. I realized too late that it had been silenced. It's very frustrating that we can't just get something like a spam filter, rather than a blanket "silence everything unknown."

iOS also has a call blocking and identification interface apps can hook into. I haven't found a good spam call blocker app though.

Try Nomorobo - took robocalls down by at least 90% for me, and I gladly pay ~$20US / year to not have flow interrupts. Works on iOS, free for VOIP numbers.

Re: The FCC Has Fined Robocallers $208M, Collected $6,790

#174

Post by bduerst » Sat, Nov 09, 2019, 9:01 PM UTC

h5erahear5 wrote: post #73

__s wrote: post #51

Earlier quoted context omitted.

rectang isn't talking about the presidential election

The claim "one dollar is one vote" is directly refuted by tyre's data. It is absolutely relevant to the assertion made. But keep on downvoting HNers, ignorance is bliss is why we come to this website after all

Tyre didn't provide data, and neither did you. The 2016 election was complex, especially due to the foreign influence, campaign hacking, fraudulent spending, and free coverage from media. The fact that both the president's campaign manager and his personal lawyer (also RNC finance chair) are currently in prison points to there not being clear visibility into his campaign spending to this day.

This doesn't refute the fact that wealth correlates with influence in U.S. politics, in fact, you could even say that a billionaire winning an election supports it.

Also, why did you create an account for just this comment?

Re: The FCC Has Fined Robocallers $208M, Collected $6,790

#175

Post by ndzig » Sat, Nov 09, 2019, 9:04 PM UTC

tasssko wrote: post #152

Frustrated UK user here. I hardly ever answer my phone anymore it just isn’t worth it. We get hounded by insurance, PPI, investment scams, trading scams, there is a new one going around now for windows. I don’t even answer my mobile any more just in the habit of checking voicemail and my reception catches dozens of calls a day. We have a virtual reception that charges by the call they answer and sometimes these add u…

Pretty sure you now regret teaching English to Indians.

Re: The FCC Has Fined Robocallers $208M, Collected $6,790

#176

Post by ikiris » Sat, Nov 09, 2019, 9:10 PM UTC

ravenstine wrote: post #42

I see people here saying that spoofed numbers is the problem. Maybe it's a big part of it, but at the end of the day, the phone companies are complicit with the criminals because there's no good reason that these robocalls can't be treated like a DoS attack. These crooks make millions , of calls every year. My first employer was apparently making robocalls, though none of us were aware of it(there was a call center w…

The short version is the ani/ALI is totally traceable, they don't want to be on the hook for it, and the FTC/FCC don't try very hard at all to deal with the problem.

Re: The FCC Has Fined Robocallers $208M, Collected $6,790

#177

Post by epanchin » Sat, Nov 09, 2019, 9:14 PM UTC

philipkglass wrote: post #88

Semaphor wrote: post #68

I have a question, why are robocalls such a problem in the U.S.A.? As far as I know, they aren’t in Germany (or if they are, not on that level, I never got one).

There are a lot of people living outside the USA who can speak English. Both legitimate and fraudulent English-language call centers are easier to set up internationally than German-language call centers. The robo part of the call can obviously be automated from anywhere but there are actual humans pretending to be from "Apple Support" when a target responds. That raises another question: are other Anglosphere countr…

UK... no. Sometimes to landlines, rarely to mobiles. I have never personally got one.

Re: The FCC Has Fined Robocallers $208M, Collected $6,790

#178

Post by megablast » Sat, Nov 09, 2019, 9:15 PM UTC

nobodyandproud wrote: post #3

brenden2 wrote: post #2

Honestly I'm surprised they've managed to collect that much. Good job guys.

This is a market-based problem rather than a policy problem: The problem is the low cost of making calls. Make calls cost money and the problem will naturally go away.

Exactly, we would not have this problem if each call cost $1000 to make.

Re: The FCC Has Fined Robocallers $208M, Collected $6,790

#179

Post by Semaphor » Sat, Nov 09, 2019, 9:20 PM UTC

runeb wrote: post #155

philipkglass wrote: post #88

Earlier quoted context omitted.

There are a lot of people living outside the USA who can speak English. Both legitimate and fraudulent English-language call centers are easier to set up internationally than German-language call centers. The robo part of the call can obviously be automated from anywhere but there are actual humans pretending to be from "Apple Support" when a target responds. That raises another question: are other Anglosphere countr…

I get some of it in Norway. English speaking call centers running scams. A lot of it comes from foreign numbers though, so it is easy enough to at least ignore.

Yeah, I get questionable foreign country numbers as well, but I never accept those.

Re: The FCC Has Fined Robocallers $208M, Collected $6,790

#180

Post by Semaphor » Sat, Nov 09, 2019, 9:21 PM UTC

icegreentea2 wrote: post #134

Semaphor wrote: post #120

Earlier quoted context omitted.

As I said in another comment, why allow international numbers to spoof national numbers?

In the parent's description, it's not spoofing at all. They've purchased real american (local) phone numbers, and are routing calls through them through other means (like internet...). There's no telephone network level trickery or spoofing going on.

Ah. Any idea why it wouldn’t be a problem (from what I’ve heard) in the UK then?