Hey robocallers, my car warranty has not expired. Leave me the heck alone
Sorry, Samantha, but I really, really hate you.
You too, Jessica.
Same goes for all your little buddies out there in robocall land who are warning me — sometimes as many as two or three times a day — that my car warranty has expired (it hasn’t) and if I don’t act now I’ll be on the hook for ginoroumous repair bills.
And it’s not just me. Car warranty scam calls were the top unwanted call complaint filed with the Federal Communications Commission in 2020, and no one, it seems, is immune.
Ken Jorgensen, a consumer fraud prosecutor in San Luis Obispo County, says he gets the calls on both his office and personal phones.
“They’re hitting all over the place,” Jorgensen said. “It’s frustrating, to say the least.”
He had already gotten two of the calls the day I spoke with him about this particular rip-off scheme.
His caller’s name was Julie, and she had a “very chippper voice,” Jorgensen said.
Must be a job requirement. My Samantha had an upbeat voice, too.
Federal effort
Unfortunately, these recorded calls are hard to trace since they could originate from anywhere, including overseas. That makes prosecution difficult, though steps have been taken at the federal level to put an end to all types of deceptive robocalls.
The Federal Communications Commission gave large telecommunications companies until June 30 of this year — later extended to Sept. 28 — to implement new technology to block scam robocalls. Small companies were give more time to comply.
The volume has reportedly decreased as a result, though many robocalls are still getting through.
So what can we do to stop them?
In this case, signing up for the Federal Trade Commission’s “do not call registry” doesn’t help.
According to the FTC website, the registry provides legitimate companies with a list of phone numbers they are not allowed to call with their sales pitches. Violators can be fined up to $43,792 per call.
But being on the do not call list does nothing to thwart scammers.
“The Registry can’t stop calls from scammers who ignore the Registry,” is the way the FTC puts it.
Just don’t answer
There are still steps we can take.
The simplest is to just not pick up the phone if you don’t recognize the number. But that’s tricky because the scammers often engage in “neighbor spoofing” to make it appear they are calling from a local area code and even a local prefix.
If you do answer and suspect it’s a scam, hang up immediately.
If you’re unsure and stay on the line DO NOT press any numbers — not even the number they tell to press if you want to be taken off their call list. That’s part of the scam; it lets the fraudsters know they’ve reached a working number and that could mean you get even more calls.
You can also install a filter on your phone to block scam calls — similar to the spam folder on email. Here’s an FTC tutorial on how to do it: www.consumer.ftc.gov/articles/how-block-unwanted-calls (If you’re a technophobe like me, relax. It’s super easy.)
Also, report the call to the FTC by filling out a form online. It asks for the phone number of the caller, the date and time the call happened and the name of the company, if you have it. Reporting helps the FTC track what’s going on in scam land.
Be sure to report any losses
If you do get bilked into buying a useless car warranty that’s full of loopholes (or you’re a victim of any other scam) absolutely report it to local authorities.
“We encourage the consumer to file a complaint with the District Attorney’s office immediately,” Jorgensen wrote in an email.
Sadly, buying anything from these crooks not only means the victim is out a chunk of money — according to USA Today, the car warranties can go for $3,000 — it also keeps the operation running.
Robocalls cost pennies per dial, so just a single sale can finance thousands of calls.
Sadly, these schemers often prey on our fears, making us believe we’re going to be out thousands of dollars or even hauled off to jail if we don’t do as they say.
But don’t let Samantha’s or Julie’s honeyed voices fool you.
These operations are run by crooks. We need to shut them down.
This story was originally published October 28, 2021 at 5:15 AM with the headline "Hey robocallers, my car warranty has not expired. Leave me the heck alone."
