September 6, 2022

PR Newswire: Americans Feel Some Relief From Robotexts As Summer Comes To An End, According To RoboKiller Insights (PRESS RELEASE)

PR Newswire: Americans Feel Some Relief From Robotexts As Summer Comes To An End, According To RoboKiller Insights (PRESS RELEASE). “Robotexts have far outpaced robocalls since the beginning of 2022. However, for the first time since April 2022, they declined month-over-month. While it appears scammers pumped the brakes in August, Americans can expect robotexts to ramp back up in the coming months as scammers get back to work on delivery and bank-related scams.”

Research & Opinion 0
August 24, 2022

CNN: A monumental case looks to crack open the world of auto-warranty robocalls

CNN: A monumental case looks to crack open the world of auto-warranty robocalls. “…according to state and federal officials, just two men may be responsible for an overwhelming share of the billions of auto-warranty spam calls that have hit US phones. Now, a new lawsuit in Ohio is trying to cut them off at their source, following a years-long effort across the public and private sectors to turn the tide on the scourge of robocalls once and for all.”

Security & Legal Issues 0
August 10, 2022

WIRED: How to Block Spam Calls and Text Messages

WIRED: How to Block Spam Calls and Text Messages. “LIFE IS BUSY enough without wasting time on spammers, scammers, and telemarketers. Whether you are suffering insistent injury lawyers, fraudulent car warranty representatives, or a drunk-dialing ex, there is a way to stop the endless calls and messages. The major carriers and phone manufacturers have upped their game against unwanted calls and messages in recent years, so let’s look at how you can effectively block them.”

Useful Stuff 0
August 1, 2022

Mashable: 7 of the best robocall blocking apps and tools for avoiding phone spam

Mashable: 7 of the best robocall blocking apps and tools for avoiding phone spam . “Phone manufacturers like Apple and Google offer opt-in silencing services that prevent unknown numbers’ calls from ringing, too. But if you don’t think those tools are powerful enough — most don’t actually stop robocalls; they just identify their sources or send them directly to voicemail — you’ve also got the option of downloading a robocall blocking app that’s purpose-built to stop scammers in their tracks.” Excellently-annotated, extensive overview.

Useful Stuff 0
July 17, 2022

Make Tech Easier: 8 Calling Apps to Make Free Phone Calls From Anywhere

Make Tech Easier: 8 Calling Apps to Make Free Phone Calls From Anywhere. “Ditch mobile calling plans and opt for calling apps to make free calls over Wi-Fi. They’ll also work over mobile data, but make sure you’ve got unlimited data so you don’t get hit with overages. While some of these apps give you your own number, others require both parties to have the same app. Either way, they’re free and you can call, text, and even video chat as much as you want.”

Useful Stuff 0
July 1, 2022

Ars Technica: FCC says it closed a loophole that many robocallers used to evade blocking

Ars Technica: FCC says it closed a loophole that many robocallers used to evade blocking. “Large voice providers were required to implement STIR/SHAKEN a year ago. But there was an exemption for carriers with 100,000 or fewer customers that would have given those smaller companies until June 30, 2023, to comply. The FCC voted in December to move that deadline up to June 30, 2022, because small phone companies were apparently carrying a disproportionately high number of illegal robocalls.”

Security & Legal Issues 0
June 18, 2022

Techdirt: New Report Offers Solutions For Our Never Ending Robocall Hell

Techdirt: New Report Offers Solutions For Our Never Ending Robocall Hell. ” Every single month U.S. residents receive an estimated 4 billion robocalls. About a billion of those are illegal, outright scammers. That’s more than 33 million illegal scam robocalls every day. As a result, 70% of Americans no longer answer the phone if it’s an unrecognized number. We’ve just ceded a major tech platform to scumbags. The National Consumer Law Center (NCLC) has spent years providing insights and solutions on this problem. They’ve issued a new report that’s worth a read if you’re at all curious why we’ve allowed a major communications platform to be hijacked by garbage merchants and snake oil salesmen.”

Security & Legal Issues 0
May 18, 2022

WIRED: This Hacktivist Site Lets You Prank-Call Russian Officials

WIRED: This Hacktivist Site Lets You Prank-Call Russian Officials. “Visit the site, click a button, and it will cycle through a leaked list of Russian government, military, and intelligence phone numbers to connect two random Russian officials—and allow the site’s visitor to silently listen in as those officials waste their time trying to figure out why they’re speaking to each other and who initiated the call.”

Ukraine 0
April 22, 2022

Chrome Unboxed: Next month, Google will no longer allow third-party call recording apps in the Play Store

Chrome Unboxed: Next month, Google will no longer allow third-party call recording apps in the Play Store. “Starting next month on May 11, 2022, the Google Play Store will begin killing off ‘remote’ call recording apps. Remote refers to the fact that the person on the other end of the call is unaware that you’re recording the conversation. Obviously, the implications of this are far-reaching when you consider each individual state or country’s policy regarding a one or two-person consent for recordings like this as they vary.”

Tweaks & Updates 0
April 15, 2022

Call Russia: UK volunteers phone random Russian numbers to ‘plant seed of doubt’ about Ukraine war (iNews)

iNews: Call Russia: UK volunteers phone random Russian numbers to ‘plant seed of doubt’ about Ukraine war. “These ‘phone calls to end the war’ are part of Call Russia, a volunteer network of more than 30,000 people from around 116 countries dialling into Russian homes to speak directly about war in Ukraine. It’s the brainchild of 45-year-old Paulius Senuta, the Lithuanian CEO of Not Perfect Companies who has experience working across Russia, Lithuania, Estonia, Belarus and Kazakhstan.”

Around the Search & Social Media World 0
February 20, 2022

Engadget: Skype can now make 911 calls in the United States

Engadget: Skype can now make 911 calls in the United States. “Microsoft has released Skype version 8.80, and it comes with the ability to make 911 calls if you’re in the US. As first noticed by XDA Developers, the app’s release notes list its new emergency calling support in the United States for both PC and mobile. In addition to being able to dial emergency services for you, the app can also automatically detect and share your location with emergency operators.”

Tweaks & Updates 0
January 27, 2022

WWAY: NC Attorney General Josh Stein sues phone company over international scam calls

WWAY: NC Attorney General Josh Stein sues phone company over international scam calls. “Attorney General Josh Stein is suing a telephone service provider for allegedly facilitating illegal and fraudulent telemarketing calls. Stein announced today a lawsuit against Articul8 and its owner Paul K. Talbot of Texas for allegedly violating the Telemarketing Sales Rule. According to a news release, in a period of just a few months in 2020 and 2021, Articul8 routed more than 65 million calls to phone numbers in North Carolina – some North Carolinians received between 50 and 200 calls on a single day.”

Security & Legal Issues 0

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