Automated robocalls, such as those which we have all received from “Rachel from card services” that try to induce us to get a new credit card or any other service are a scam that has been with us for many years and despite the best efforts of the Federal Trade Commission, still is victimizing many people.  The calls sound legitmate and if you are not sufficiently skeptical, you can end up having your identity stolen or scammed out of money for a worthless product being sold.  It is easy to identify a robocall that is a scam.  If you get a robocall, it is a scam.  Robocalls are illegal.  Recently the FTC, in an effort to combat robocalls held a contest with a $50,000 prize to the person who came up with the best solution to stop robocalls.  Yesterday, the winners were announced.  They are Aaron Foss and Serdar Danis who split the prize.  Their solution involves new software that will filter out calls being placed by a computer or someone identified as an unwanted caller.

TIPS

The software developed by Foss and Danis is not yet readily available, however, a good low-tech solution to the problem which I have been using for years is to merely hangup whenever I get an automated call without a real person on the line.  Robocalls are illegal and anyone who is making them to sell me a product or service cannot be trusted.  Bye Bye Rachel.  I can’t say it was good knowing you.