People in the Pittsburgh region receive fewer robocalls than the national average, according to a company that says it’s the first to tally those annoying pre-recorded messages.
That doesn’t mean Pittsburghers don’t get pestered. People in the 412 and 724 area codes received an average of five robocalls per month during the last six months compared with 7.2 per person nationwide.
The biggest sources of robocalls are calls from scammers and from companies notifying people that they are behind on a mortgage, credit card or other bill, according to YouMail, a call-managing and voicemail service based in Irvine, Calif., that has been tracking robocalls for a little over a year.
Areas of the country that have healthier economies tend to get fewer bill reminder robocalls, YouMail CEO Alex Quilici said. The Pittsburgh area is getting fewer scam and reminder calls, indicating the economy is better than average, he said.
Cities in Florida, and other places with older populations, tend to get a disproportionate number of scam calls, he said.
At the high end, Atlanta residents are enduring an average of 40 robocalls per month, while people in Seattle and San Francisco are getting an average of four a month, Mr. Quilici said.
Overall, consumers and businesses nationwide received 29.3 billion robocalls in 2016, according to YouMail, which estimated the figures by using calling patterns of its primarily mobile phone customers.
While robocalls can be irritating — especially when they interrupt mealtime — many of the calls are perfectly legal.
The government has outlawed recorded and auto-dialed sales calls unless someone in the household has given written permission to receive them. Companies also are prohibited from making live telemarketing calls to people who’ve registered for federal or state Do-Not-Call lists.
But numerous types of robocalls are allowed — such as calls from debt collectors, politicians, survey takers and most charities.
In addition, informational messages are acceptable. Think of the calls from a phone company notifying a customer that a technician is on the way, or calls about school delays, flight cancellations or prescription reminders.
Although Pittsburghers are receiving fewer robocalls than the national average, averages don’t tell the whole tale, Mr. Quilici said.
“A lot can be hidden in the averages,” he said. “There may be people getting hundreds of robocalls a month, while others get zero. That’s why some people don’t believe there is a robocall problem, while others are completely exasperated.”
For people rankled by too many robocalls, there are several options for fighting back.
Robocall-blocking software can screen for unwanted calls. YouMail’s app, which is free, blocks spam calls, telemarketers who ignore the Do-Not-Call list and other numbers that customers overwhelmingly report as unwanted. Local phone companies also offer various services aimed at blocking unwanted calls.
Consumers also can ask a company directly to stop calling them, which legitimate companies will do by putting the number on their in-house Do-Not-Call list.
The Federal Trade Commission offers a video tutorial on various ways to fight illegal robocalls, available at https://www.consumer.ftc.gov/media/video-0086-robocall-challenge-consumer-tips-tricks.
One simple way to battle robocalls is to let the calls go to voicemail, Mr. Quilici said.
“If you don’t recognize the number that is calling, don’t answer it,” he said. “That’s the safest way to handle calls.”
Robocalls and telemarketing calls currently are the number one source of consumer complaints to the Federal Communications Commission. The agency takes complaints at www.consumercomplaints.fcc.gov/hc/en-us. Consumers also can file complaints with the Federal Trade Commission by visiting www.FTC.gov and clicking “File a Consumer Complaint.”
Patricia Sabatini: PSabatini@post-gazette.com; 412-263-3066.
First Published: February 15, 2017, 5:00 a.m.
