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robocall

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robocall

A phone call made by a computer and automatic dialer that delivers a prerecorded message. Robocalls are not the same as automated calls to specific people for appointment reminders, pharmacy pickups and the like. Rather, robocalls deliver the same message to all the phone numbers on a list.

Mostly Ads and Scams
An automated call can be legitimate; for example, a school district might robocall the homes of students informing them of a snow day. However, most robocalls are political announcements or an attempt to sell something. They are also used in phishing schemes that warn of illegal credit card activity or that a lawsuit is pending. The recipients are asked to phone an 800 number, in which case they will be asked to divulge their social security number and other private data (see vishing).

According to the YouMail National Robocall index, in 2018, more than 131 million robocalls were made to U.S. phone numbers every day, even to numbers on the National Do Not Call list. See spam.
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References in periodicals archive
The Anti-Robocall Principles address the robocall problem in two main ways: prevention and enforcement.
Consolidated Communications Joins Coalition of State Attorneys General and Industry Peers to Fight Illegal Robocalls
T-Mobile (NASDAQ: TMUS) and AT&T (NYSE: T) have begun rollout of cross-network call authentication based on SHAKEN/STIR standards in order to help protect consumers from unwanted robocalls, the company said.
T-Mobile , AT&T to give customers new call authentication protections
"Despite historically clamoring for new tools, it does not appear that all providers have acted with haste to deploy opt-out robocall blocking services."
FCC's Starks Releases Free Robocall Blocking Responses
The TNS 2019 Robocall Investigation Report is a bi-annual update of key robocall trends that draws from over 1 billion daily call events across hundreds of carriers and integrates a vast amount of factual evidence from TNS' network traffic.
10% OF HIGH RISK ROBOCALLS COME FROM TIER 1 CARRIERS
In the letter, attorneys general write the estimated number of illegal robocalls received last year reached nearly 48 billion.
Hunter urges Congress to take action against robocalls
Scam robocalls play upon the anxiety, greed, or naivete of callers.
30pc of all cell phone calls come from robocall scammers
According to the Anti-Defamation League, the organization has produced racist and anti-Semitic robocalls across the country.
Racist and Anti-Semitic Robocall Targets Florida Gubernatorial Candidate Gillum
"Robocall reminders improved the overall show rate for diabetes retinal screening in a low-income minority population."
Robocalls increase diabetic retinopathy screenings in low-income patients
Currier was unapologetic about the fact that the calls had caused confusion for some voters, saying the robocall script was clear.
Robocalls raise voter concern; Oregon GOP claims responsibility
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