DENVER (KDVR) — Have you ever had one of those annoying calls show up on your cell phone with an unknown number or no caller ID? You are not alone.
In fact, the Robocall Index said that the average person received nearly 14 spam calls in January.
Colorado received nearly 65 million robocalls in January, which is up 7% over December.
The Robocall Index said the worst state for robocalls in January was Texas, which received an estimated 533 million calls.
Where does Denver rank?
When it comes to cities across the United States, Denver ranked 28 out of the top 100 in January.
The Robocall Index said callers in the Mile High city received a little more than 39 million robocalls last month.
How to stop robocalls
The Federal Communications Commission said that unwanted calls – including illegal and spoofed robocalls – are the top consumer complaint.
Here are some tips to help with unwanted robocalls from the FCC:
- Register your number on the Do Not Call List. Legitimate telemarketers consult the list to avoid calling both landline and wireless phone numbers on the list.
- Don’t answer calls from unknown numbers. If you answer such a call, hang up immediately.
- You may not be able to tell right away if an incoming call is spoofed. Be aware: Caller ID showing a “local” number does not necessarily mean it is a local caller.
- If you answer the phone and the caller – or a recording – asks you to hit a button to stop getting the calls, you should just hang up. Scammers often use this trick to identify potential targets.
- Do not respond to any questions, especially those that can be answered with “Yes.”
- Never give out personal information such as account numbers, Social Security numbers, mother’s maiden names, passwords or other identifying information in response to unexpected calls or if you are at all suspicious.
- If you get an inquiry from someone who says they represent a company or a government agency, hang up and call the phone number on your account statement, in the phone book, or on the company’s or government agency’s website to verify the authenticity of the request. You will usually get a written statement in the mail before you get a phone call from a legitimate source, particularly if the caller is asking for a payment.
- Use caution if you are being pressured for information immediately.
It is also important to remember that scammers can use a robotext as well. The FCC said that rules ban text messages sent to a mobile phone using an autodialer unless you previously gave consent to receive the message, or the message is sent for emergency purposes.