Do Not Call Registry complaints up – FTC trying to stop the robocalls

Logo for the United States National Do Not Call Registry. (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

There are 217 million phone numbers on the Do Not Call list, but millions still say it’s not working for them. Every month 200-300,000 people complain to the FTC. Many of the complaints stem from robocalls or recorded messages.  The Federal Trade Commission is fed up too, and wants your ideas to stop them.

Today, the FTC is holding a robocall summit. The goal is to brainstorm new ideas to stop these annoying calls. One of the most popular, “Rachel from Cardholder Services.” The FTC took action against a company making Rachel calls in 2010, but she’s still calling. Staff Attorney Michael Milgrom is with the FTC in Cleveland, and told me for a NewsChannel 5 article that it’s probably a different Rachel calling now. The software to make Rachel-like calls makes its rounds in the industry, and likely someone else is now using that pre-recorded message.

The FTC said technology makes it difficult to track down the responsible party for the robocall. It’s easy to spoof or fake a number.

Have a complaint or idea? Let the FTC know.