If you’ve been plagued by telemarketers calling from numbers you almost recognize, you’re about to get some relief.
The practice of copying existing local numbers to make telemarketing calls (thus bypassing the Do Not Call registry) is called spoofing. And finally, according to BGR News, the FCC is taking action against the practice. The agency is proposing a $37.5 million dollar fine against an Arizona company that made 2.3 million spoofed calls to American phone users. They’re also finalizing an $82 million dollar fine against another telemarketer that used unassigned local numbers to make calls.
These actions may only cut down on some of your cellphone spam that originates in the U.S., but there’s not a lot the FCC can do about the calls that originate overseas. We need a better app for that!